The dangers of  BPA leaching from plastics came to my attention a few months ago.  I immediately emailed my greenest friend Suzanne and got the scoop on stainless steel water bottles for the kids.   She educated me in the world of stainless steel and I found the Thermos ‘FUNtainers” and Klean Kanteens were the front runners for my family.  I found my Thermos stainless steel FUNtainers at London Drugs and immediately threw out all plastic water sippies.  The kids love their Thermos bottles (the commercial prints on the bottles make your kids want to use them) so I have no regrets with the purchase, but this company makes it tough for Canadians to totally embrace them.   The replacement straws that you need are tough (if not impossible) to find in Canada making this $18 purchase an item that has a shelf life.  You can order these cups online via the Thermos web site, but my two friends that did this got dinged with so many duty and ’service’ charges once they arrived, it was ridiculous.   **If you can have them shipped somewhere in the States and order replacement straws at the same time this would be a great idea.**   Three other cons I can think of with these bottles are they are heavy, they utilize 2 plastic pieces (aren’t we trying to get away from all plastic here?), and a  biggie for me…if you have any problems with your order, their customer service is terrible.  You honestly feel like your banging your head against cement trying to get assistance via their email customer service or the phone number that’s listed on the web site.   But if you can overlook these negatives, you can’t beat the kid friendly designs these bottles have…it’s hard to beat having Batman or a Princess on your water bottle if you’re a kid.

Health Canada is first in the world to declare BPA dangerous - making environmental and health history.  What a great move for Canada, as this is the first step towards a ban and this classification could pave the way for BPA to be listed as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This would allow our health minister to issue measures for its use. Other countries have been buying into the industry defending that BPA is harmless.  By Canada being the first country to issue such a warning, it will pressure other major regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its counterpart in the European Union to study again their approval on the use of BPA.

Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defense, explained to Globe and Mail that, “Bisphenol A is in every Canadian home. It threatens the health of every Canadian. Moving against it would be a hugely significant victory for public health and the environment.”

Bisphenol A is a “hormonally active chemical” found in almost all plastics and in metal can liners, where it can leach into foods and beverages. Industry maintains that BPA is safe at small concentrations, but concerns about its impact on human health continue to grow. Some experts say it mimics naturally occuring estrogen and according to the 2006 National Geographic Green Guide, animal studies indicate that BPA may cause infertility, cancers, and hyperactivity.

Health Canada’s decision on bisphenol A is slated to be released tomorrow.

Can I just start off by saying I feel so bad for first time parents?  I’ve been researching and reading about the chemical BPA in plastics for months and I’m still having a hard time wrapping my mind around the terms and codes.  Between this, toy recalls, vaccination controversy…my heart just goes out to you.  If you are hearing the term ‘BPA’ for the first time, please read on and hopefully this article will help you.

BPA (Bisphenol A) is a component of epoxy resins that are used to line food cans and to make hard plastic polycarbonate bottles and containers.  Why is this substance in the news?  Many reports and studies are proving that BPA is leaching through plastic and this can lead to health concerns for your family.  BPA is linked to breast and prostate cancer and neurobehavioral changes in offspring exposed in the womb.  The Today Show describes the affects as being primarily reproductive and fertility in both male and female organisms.  

The chances of this chemical leaching are higher if you are heating or storing food/liquid in the plastic for long periods of time.    BPA raises special concerns because numerous studies have found it to be toxic at exposure levels equivalent to or even below the amounts detected in people.

Plastics to avoid:

#3 PVC - phthalates (hormone disruptor)
#7 polycarbonate - bisphenol-A (hormone disruptor)
#6 polystyrene - styrene - possible human carcinogen

The better plastics are:
polypropylene (#5)
polyethylene (#1,#2,#4).
The containers need to be discarded if they get worn down, degraded, overused etc.

What items contain BPA?

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