What about the lining on SIGG (and other brands) Aluminum bottles. Can I trust them? Here's what they say on their website: "SIGG has perfected the formula of its proprietary inner liner over decades of scientific research and Swiss engineering. The ingredients (like the formula for Coca-Cola) remain secret and unavailable to 3rd parties so as to ensure SIGG retains its competitive advantage. The key of course is that the SIGG liner is FDA approved and independently tested to be taste and scent inert – and resistant to any leaching (0.0%) so 100% safe."

you're kidding. I have to throw away all my nalgene bottles? What do I use for camping trips? Can polypro bottles hold up to hot liquids? You're making my live unlivable.

I have one made from corn....and it's great!

oh, man. i thought my Nalgene was the healthy choice. now what? i got a couple of SIGG bottles as a gift too. so i'd love to know if they're ok. if not, then who makes the good bottles you're talking about? help!

According to The Green Guide (www.thegreenguide.org) "The Swiss Sigg bottle is made from extruded aluminum and coated on the inside with a taste-inert, food-compatible stove enamel."

Also according to a posting there from someone who read a German report on aluminium bottles: "Stiftung Oekotest (www.oekotest.de) is a German testing agency, like Consumer Reports, but everything is tested for environmental friendliness and health concerns. The SIGG aluminium bottle they tested received very good ratings: it leaks minimal traces of aluminium at room temperature, more at higher temperatures (thats why you should protect it from heat and not use it with hot drinks as stated in the manual that comes with the bottle), there was no bisphenol A found, no diethylhexyphthalate, no vinyl. With this it did quite good in the test. They consider traces of aluminium less dangerous than the stuff plastics usually leak."

Otherwise there's always the stainless steel Klean Kanteen(www.kleankanteen.com).

Also, Nagelene also makes the same bottles out of Polyethelene (#2 plasitc which is safe) - they just don't look as "nice" because they're the white milky translucent color instead of clear. (But I'd suggest putting your hot stuff in a stainless steel bottle...)

OK...so I got the stainles steel bottles and sippy cups, and have decided to give up canned foods. I use fresh beans and veggies.. My problem is with revising all of my cooking that uses canned food staples such as tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatos, etc. What are the alternatives for these??? Help! Someone who knows please post an answer. I am starting to agree with gawain in that all these things to worry about are making my life unlivable! Why can't the stuff on our shelves be safe for goodness sakes?!?! This is getting ridiculous. I'm worn out.

i would like info, on what is safe for school sandwiches etc? i use a paper bag to wrap my daughters food in! and what about a lunch box??any info i would appreciate!

What about the plastic bladder used in my camel back pack which I use up to a hundred times each year? Are any of the plastic bladders safe? I can't fine a number on mine.

Do acrylic products, such as drinkware,contain BPA?

Ditto! And now we can't eat seafood or arsenic-tainted chickens, and I can't afford organic, and my husband balks at anything healthy, and then there's the price of gas!

With regard to cans the only solution is to buy a few different brands and open them to see if they are lined or not. Then stick with the unlined brand. You can also be proactive and forward some of this information on to companies that make canned products.

I've heard that Nalgene bottles are okay as long as you replace them every couple of years and don't put hot liquids in them. They are a hard plastic and you can tell by the fact they don't have a stong plastic smell to them that they are better than a lot of other plastics.

I have been using glass. I used a bail-top imported beer bottle until I found a bigger and lighter one at IKEA for $2. Works with one hand, and glass is best!

I, too, am confused about diced tomatoes and tomato sauce in the can! I am wondering if there are any companies that omit the use of bisphenol-A. Is it even possible? I do use the Klean Kanteens. I love them. They keep drinks cold and are great for kids, too! My 3 year old son has 3 of them.

Hotmama: A good alternative to canned tomatoes is to use dried or sun-dried tomatoes. They give the strong tomato flavor you're looking for. It's best to get ones without salt added, if you can find them. Soak them in water until soft (usually 15-45 minutes), then blend them up with some of the soak water, a little bit of salt (if you got unsalted tomatoes), maybe a little dried onion and/or garlic powder, etc. (Look on your canned tomato products to see what flavorings they put in, and experiment until you get something that tastes good to you.) You can also just blend them up with water and add the various flavorings to your recipes when you're cooking.

For diced tomatoes, it's best to just buy fresh ones and dice them yourself. Roma or plum tomatoes are good for dicing because they have very little liquid. You could also save the excess liquid from your diced tomatoes and use it in place of water to blend with the sun-dried tomatoes.

You can either do this every time you have a recipe, or make a bunch every week or so and keep it in a glass container in the fridge.

You can also make a cooked tomato sauce out of fresh tomatoes, which may take a little more work, but is probably how the canned ones are made. I haven't tried it, but a website I found suggested this recipe:

"I remember my mother used to make a thick tomato sauce from scratch. This was back in India where canned products were not something that anyone ever used. Everything was made fresh and the long way. Here it goes:

Plum Tomatoes (about 30 or so depending on the size, you can adjust the amount to the quantity you have)
seasonings of your choice

She used to cut the tomatoes into large chunks and place it in a large saucepan. She would cover and cook them on medium heat until they were tender and the skin seperated out of the tomatoes (about 30 minutes or so).

Next let the tomato mixture cool down a tiny bit. Now sieve the tomatoes through a food mill (she used a fine mesh for this, she had all different sizes of meshes). Thrown away the seeds and the skin and pour the reserved pulp in a clean saucepan. Add spices of your choices and continue to cook it until the desired thickness.

Note: There were no preservatives used and whatever she made was used within the week if not sooner."

I assume that if you wanted a thick tomato paste instead of a tomato sauce, you could blend in the tomato skins instead of straining them out.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes if you get a chance. :)

Yet another argument for the (mostly) raw diet. My question: if I ditch canned foods what about those boxes like juice boxes? I just bought a pile of organic cooked beans in these things.

Sigg bottles are great but pricey. I scored some metal bottles at my local thrift store. Now it remains to be seen if they have plastic liners. :-(

The reason aluminum cans are lined is because the water used in processing the foods or beverages is usually fluoridated. The EPA noted in a nomination for Aluminum-fluoride neurotoxicity studies,Lou Gehrig's Disease, Alzheimers Disease, that the fluorides caused the aluminum to leach and combined with it, forming aluminum-fluoride. They recommended not buying any dented cans or out of date ones. (ref. "Review: Aluminum Toxicity - Feb. 2000, Dept of Health & Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC)
I rely on glass, steel, iron frying pan, and corning ware.

I feel the same way worn out, it seems it never ends. But you can always can your own tomatoe sauce and other things you normally get in a can, that way you have total control over what you are eating. It might save you some money as well.

So is the website above wear you get the good water bottles and sippy cups? (Kleankanteen)

According to Trader Joe's, none of their can linings contain BPA. Eden Foods canned beans are BPA free, but their tomatoes are not.

For Hotmama:

On canned goods, our tactic is to try to make it fresh (it's not as hard as it seems, once you integrate it into your cooking routine), or when the items aren't available fresh, eat what is in season! That having been said, we do have some canned items around for camping/quick meals on short notice. Just minimizing your exposure until you are able to completely eliminate the source from your life is progress in the right direction.

It took our family 6 years (took the typical repeated health-related wake-up calls to completely impress upon us how much easier it is to change your life than to die a long, slow, modern death) revolutionize our consumption pattern. We started with simply trading bleach and conventional dish soap for less toxic alternatives (http://lesstoxicguide.ca/ is a great site for suggestions, both storebought and homemade), and we now eat almost exclusively organic foods, prepared at home without microwave or even toaster (heard the elements throw out some really nasty stuff when heating...tungsten might have been one), completely free of refined sugars (or other white poisions, like refined flour and rice), never using disposable plates, etc., trying to use primarily cloth napkins while all other paper products are recycled...well, just typing up the list makes it seem daunting, but really, take it one thing at a time, and 6 years from now, you'll have a long list of changes as well.

Most recently, we have become big fans of the Weston A Price Foundation and the Price-Pottenger Foundation as resources for information on traditional diets for optimal health. And having moved toward the _Nourishing_Traditions_ lifestyle, our eating habits automatically include less prepared foods as we integrate as much raw/lightly cooked food as possible. The gradual return of good health around this household far outweighs any attraction the denatured convenience foods once held. (Although, because "convenience" foods are really nice on the run with kids, we are totally into goraw.com where you can order cereal, granola bars, and snack foods prepared as carefully as if Sally Fallon herself had made them for her own children!)

BTW, while you're on a roll tossing out the plastic in favour of stainless, you can even get stainless steel drinking straws (after5catalog.com is just one of the websites carrying them), which the kids love!

happy hunting, and good health to you and your family!

I read that the popular plastic lunch boxes contain lead in them so I have been using paper bags for my kids.
We try but CAN'T do every little thing we read about that is bad for us. I would go nuts!!

Hi
You advise #5 polypropylene plastic in the answer to a question about stainless steel water bottles but in the 'Tips for avoiding BPA exposure' only 1,2 and 4 and the name polypropylene without the number are mentioned. For thouroughness, consistency and convenience I think adding the #5 would be helpful.

noelene: Regarding your question about wrapping sandwiches, a few years ago I researched information and made a chart of the seven plastic types (by SPI code) and the various kinds of products that touch our food which are made from those plastic types. (I'd share the whole chart but don't know how.) In general, avoid SPI codes 3,6, and 7. They contain toxic substances which leach into food and drink. Interestingly, Saran Wrap and Reynolds Wrap are made from polyvinyl chloride (SPI 3), so don't use those. Handi-Wrap and Glad Wrap are made from low-density polyethylene (SPI 4), which is considered safe.

In regard to BPA leaching from can linings into food, I gave up Muir Glen canned tomatos--the only thing I bought in a can--because of it. After the EWG study came out, I emailed Muir Glen and asked about their can linings. Yes, they told me, there is BPA in our can linings, but it's completely safe. I responded with the link to the EWG study, and my promise to never buy anything they put in a can again.

If you notice, Muir Glen also sells various tomato sauces in glass bottles. If enough of their customers contact them about BPA, they just may start selling bottled tomatoes.

Regarding how to tell what kind of plastic a bladder would be (or any other with no identifying number), if it's flexible, there's a good chance that it's been softened by plasticizers that leach toxic chemicals such as bisphenol-A.

i am also curious about Mary's question regarding the plastic bladder in the camelbacks. Anyone know??

I am looking for 5 gallon glass or stainless steel drinking water storage containers.

regarding sandwich wrapping ... I use good old fashioned wax paper. Reynold's "cut-rite" brand is available in a roll and in sandwich bag style. A tight fold and a tiny bit of scotch tape or an elastic band, and the sandwich stays as fresh and tasty as though it had been hermetically sealed in "plastic wrap", but without that disgusting plastic taste than plastic wrap imparts to everything.

I'm interested in other's thoughts about was paper. It seems to compost well, also, and is great fire-starter.

Some organic diced tomatoes and tomato sauces are now available in safe (and recyclable) aseptic packages (I believe it's Muir Glen). Eden Foods (organic beans and veggies) uses cans without bisphenol-A (I think I read this in the Green Guide). Frozen veggies are also great in a pinch. You can put your homemade tomato sauces into glass jelly jars and freeze them too. Hope this helps.

I'm curious if we have any info on the Press and Seal type of plastic wrap? Does anyone know if it contains toxins? Also,I feel everyone's frustration with all the info and changing our entire patterns of cooking, shopping, and eating. I have chosen to begin a routine nutritional program that provides cellular cleansing so when I can't prevent all toxins from entering my body from the start I can eliminate them on a regular basis. This has allowed freedom from the constant fear that my family is being poisoned.

For a safe lunch box alternative, we love the "Laptop lunches" system (just google it). Yes, they're plastic, (with stainless utencils) but a safer type.
The kids love them, too.

Check out reusablebags.com. They carry various stainless steel bottles, a reusable sandwich wrap (wrap-n-mat), and a multitude of lunch bag options.

THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO: NOW I NEED TO KNOW IF THE SAMPLE CREAMS FROM ARBONNE, INT'L THAT ARE IN SHEETS OF PLASTIC WITH METALLIC LININGS ARE SAFE. HELP! GUESS I SHOULD ASK THEM ALSO. THEY HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL CO. BUT ARE MANUFACTURED IN THE USA. ARBONNE.COM.

I too wonder if "wax paper" is really as benign as it sounds. I assume there is no longer really "wax" but a petroleum based product used for the coating.

Anyone with info?

Hi I am posting in response to the question about the water bladders; I work in an outdoor store that carries both the Camelbak water bladders and the Nalgene bladders in North Face backpacks. I don't know as much about the Camelbak bladders, but when we started carrying the North Face's backpacks with bladders I saw my chance to pick my rep's brain: The bladders they use are in fact made by nalgene with their pharmeceutical grade lexan plastic that leaves no taste or smell. If you go directly to their website,

http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/Index.html

you can see all the products they carry and they have a link that tells you about the different types of plastics they carry. They also have a link that has information concerning BPA and Nalgene.

http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/technical/bpaInfo.html

I remember a study done about a year ago that concluded that Lexan was safe to drink out of if the bottles are in good condition. All the bottles in the study that were new and in good condition showed no leaching, where-as bottles that were well used and not new showed some leaching, with the ones that were the oldest and most worn had the highest levels of leaching. So as long as you replace your bottles every few years as they wear out, they are safe to use. Also, for those parents out there, Nalgene makes some wonderful sippy cups/bottles and squirt bottles for kids.

I hope this helps answer some questions:D

I think that glass bottles are best and cheapest for cold stuff. Try wrapping sannis in foil which can be reused. Ceramics are nice too. Also try to buy
American.

ok, how do i pack a lunch for my kids w/o plastic? is the laptop lunches really ok? if it has plastic? how do you store food at home? everything fresh and in glass? thanks folks. my brothers son who lives with me is autistic and i am putting hom on a gluten-free diet, so this is how i became concerned. thanks so much i have 3 kids!

Does anyone know of a square stainless steel sandwich container? I saw someone posted a site for stainless steel straws so I am hoping for a sandwich container - the lid can be plastic if the base is stainless since the food won't touch the lid.
Thanks!

Does anyone have information about melamine plates and cups for children. I do not know the composition of these products, but I can only assume that they are also dangerous. Should these also be discarded?

I found a good alternative to pack lunches and sandwiches at http://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/

The stainless steel containers have two sections, so you can put a sandwich at the bottom, and then fruits/veggies/whatever in the top part. It's fairly lightweight, safe for the dishwasher and toaster oven. You just can't pack anything liquid/saucy, unless you can always keep it upright. I also found these containers at a local environmental store.

Check out the website also if you are looking for safe baby bottles and stainless steel baby bowls & plates.

Doesn't anybody read anymore? BPA *MAY* leach bisphenol-A. Then the short but sweet FUD-based article states BPA is "an industrial chemical linked to birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems and other health concerns".

Errr birth defects *in mice*. Ooops forgot to mention that did ya? No studies show problems in humans. And also mice and humans, being different species, process the chemicals differently in our bodies. Mice tend to hold on to it while humans expel it.

Thanks for fear mongering. I'll keep my Nalgene thank you.

Peeete-
BPA *MAY* leach bisphenol-A.

I'm assuming that you meant to say that polycarbonate plastics "may" leach bisphenol A (since BPA IS bisphenol A).

The thing is, there's no *MAY* about it. BPA has been shown to leach from polycarbonate plastic as well as from the linings of canned food. BPA *DOES* leach.

As for your assertion that there are no human studies: Wrong again.
Female reproductive effects linked to BPA exposure

There are few published studies on the effects of exposure to BPA in humans. Japanese scientists found that women with polycystic ovarian syndrome had higher serum levels of BPA relative to women with normal ovarian function, and that there were positive correlations between BPA concentrations and androgen levels (Takeuchi et al. 2006). Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the most common form of female infertility in the U.S., affecting 5 to 10 percent of American women.

Another study found an inverse relationship between BPA concentrations and the presence of complex endometrial hyperplasia; the authors suggested that this surprising finding pointed to a more complex relationship between BPA exposure and estrogen dependent diseases than previously thought. (Hiroi, Tsutsumi et al. 2004) Lastly, a study of women with a history of recurrent miscarriages found they had higher serum BPA when compared with women with normal pregnancies, leading the authors of the study to conclude that "exposure to bisphenol A is associated with recurrent miscarriage" (Sugiura-Ogasawara et al. 2005). Recurrent miscarriages affect one percent of American couples trying to conceive (Rai 2006).
Male reproductive effects linked to BPA exposure

Men with occupational exposure to epoxy resins were found to have decreased secretion of follicle stimulating hormone when compared with men without occupational exposure to epoxy resins (Hanaoka et al. 2002). Follicle stimulating hormone is critical to sperm formation; diminished secretion of this hormone in men can result in reduced sperm concentration and infertility.

Sorry buddy. Better luck next time.

Thermos has various stainless steel bottles and containers designed for children. They are double sides stainless steel. They also have the latest designs for children (superheroes, barbie, bratz etc). The only problem I see is that the capacity is low (12oz). I think school kids needs a little more water for the day. Look at the website for products.

Thermos has various stainless steel bottles and containers designed for children. They are double sides stainless steel. They also have the latest designs for children (superheroes, barbie, bratz etc). The only problem I see is that the capacity is low (12oz). I think school kids needs a little more water for the day. Look at the website for products.

Thermos has various stainless steel bottles and containers designed for children. They are double sides stainless steel. They also have the latest designs for children (superheroes, barbie, bratz etc). The only problem I see is that the capacity is low (12oz). I think school kids needs a little more water for the day. Look at the website for products.

WOW! What a wealth of information I found on here today! Thanks everyone for all the information. It is also very nice to know that I am not the only one writing to companies about products. And, I personally would rather be safe then sorry about what's out there. It has long been my belief that autism, among other diseases, has been caused by the chemicals and pesticdes in our food, drinks, building supplies, clothing, furniture, etc.

With regard to what to do about canned tomatoes and paste.
Every September my family buys several bushels of tomatoes. We crush, cook, and bottle enough for the year. It's a hard days work, but you end up with tomato sauce that could never compare to any store bought stuff. Alternatively an easier method would be to wash, then freeze the whole fresh tomato, and just pull out as many as you may need for the meal you are making.
I used to do that when I lived in a small apartment, and didn't have the space to make my own sauce for the year.

Thanks designer girl for the tip about freezing whole tomatoes. Excellent suggestion.

Everyone else, thanks for all your suggestions - excellent reading.

It doesn't matter if Arbonne's product containers are safe....their products are ladened with chemicals! Funny that Arbonne touts it is a Swiss company (to mislead you with the reputation of Swiss cosmetics) and manufacturers in the U.S. so they don't have to answer to stringent European cosmetic standards! Manufacture your cosmetic product in the U.S. and you can put ANYTHING in it. All you have to do it label it. Go to EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety page and enter the keyword "Arbonne" for a shocker! Then, key in a few of the ingredients and you will never use ARbonne again!

i wonder what to use for packing lunch (sandwich). i don't want to use plastic ones.

anyone knows a site that sells these things?
should i just use the aluminum foil?

thanks

Marie, I use unwaxed paper for wrapping sandwiches. It breaks down more easily when disposed of and also no chance of leaking toxic aluminium.

I'm confused. I know that plastic is a big no-no for the microwave. If water bottles and plastic wrap are used for cold purposes, how do the chemicals leach out into the water/food?

to the person who commented on arbonne,what skincare company do you use or recommend. i am on a very tight budget but i had been buying their products for daughter because of her sensitivity to soaps that are not ph balanced.

I just bought some stainless steel water bottles from this company called the Watergeeks. (www.thewatergeeks.com) The bottles are similar to the others out there but are much better priced. They also have these filtered bottles (BPA free #4 plastic) to replace bottled water. What a cool idea.

Is Lexan polycarbonate? What about the polycarbonate blender jars in the Ktec and Vitamix that are used in virtually every smoothie shop in the USA?

Here's the cheap, no-commitment method: I buy small glass water bottles (like the small Pellegrino), enjoy the water and then re-use for a while. Sometimes I re-use iced tea bottles or juice bottles. For my kid I use one of those cushioned bottle wraps to avoid broken glass.

Gourmet stores and places like Whole Foods have lots of beverages available in glass.

Are Chinook Stainless Steel water bottles safe? Anyone know?

I switched from nalgen to SIGG. The bottles are really light weight and sexy. They are hard to find but I finally tracked down one at http://www.metalwaterbottlestore.com

For hotmama ~ there are companies selling organic tomato sauces & tomato products in glass jars. One I've tried is from Bionaturae. Eden does not have BPA in the lining of their cans for beans, but it is in the lining of their tomato product cans. Stick with tomato products in glass. I also grow my own tomatoes to can, freeze and dry. You've rec'd great tips on methods already, but you can get detailed canning instructions from your county cooperative extension office.

For Monique - Miessence from ONE Group is a chemical free, organic line of products for skincare, bodycare, haircare, etc. Some products are all natural, with organic ingredients, and some products are certified organic to food standards (95% organic ingredients). I do sell this line. Email me at info@haircareorganics.com if you'd like to learn how to get samples or discounts.

For all those who asked about how to wrap lunches: I use the Kleen Kanteen stainless steel bottles for liquids, and the Natural Value unbleached wax paper bags. I also use small 4 oz. glass canning jars - the perfect size to hold a lunch item or snack.

Kathy

I wish everyone would stop recommending steel. It leaches nickel, which is highly allergenic. How do you know if you are allergic to nickel? Do you have to wear sensitive-ears earrings? If you do you are allergic.

Vicky, you're right that Kleen Kanteen may be a problem for those who are very sensitive to nickel, but:

Klean Kanteens are constructed from high quality sanitary grade 304 stainless steel which has a low nickel content.

This is the same stainless steel that's used in dairy operations and lots of cookware (although some cookware actually has *more* nickel in it). You may be right that it's a good idea to add that caveat when recommending stainless steel water bottles, though.

Tomato brands in glass: Bionaturae tomato paste and strained tomatoes.

Tomato brands in aseptic: Pomi chopped tomatoes and strained tomatoes; Luigi Vitelli strained and chopped tomatoes.

I'm sure there are others...

For monique rich re: soap. Try Miracle II products for your daughter. The soap is Ph balanced, fragrance free and highly concentrated so a little goes a long way. (I'd recommend using a foaming soap dispenser.) I use a ratio of 1 Tb soap to 6 Tb water for doing dishes and bathing.

I also love their Moisturizing Lotion. These products are not sold in stores but you can find many sellers on the web.

I've been using the wide mouth nalagen bottles for small emergency kits inside my truck, camping gear and house.

A couple of small candles, matches, emergency blankets, change, cash, etc will easily fit into the wide mouth bottles and they are pretty easy to put behind a seat or stow away in the emergency box or with your camping gear.

I've seen these kits in many outdoor type stores and thought it would be a good idea to make my own and "recycle" my older nalagen bottles.

give it a shot!

I am using corn based bottles for my kids little leauge team. After each practice I bring the bottles home and wash them. I want the parents to be insured that the bottles have been sanatized properly. Does anyone know what I should use.

For cosmetics and skin stuff I like Green Beaver and Lavera, both are gluten and milk free, even if your not sure her triggers there totally additive free so you should be good. For water bottles we bought the glass water bottle from Sesen, its Canadian.

If you are looking for a good looking SS bottle that will not break the bank then you have to go for Ikea's stainless steel flask (Volym). It holds 34 oz of liquid and it retails for $14.99. The interior is pure SS, and the cap is made out of rubber and polypropylene (do not leach chemicals). Great deal! Ikea is subject to the same regulations as other European companies so pretty much all of their products are BPA and phalatel free. And great cheap organic coffee too ($3.99 versus $11.99 at Whole Foods!). Go here: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/29291800

Hello. I reread all of the postings in this section and they are such a great wealth of information! Does anyone know of a canned tuna in either water or olive oil that comes in unlined cans? I can can veggies but I can't seem to come up with a good tuna alternative. Thanks!
Kim

Muir Glen organic tomato sauce, paste, diced tomato, etc. are packaged in "white enamel lined cans" according to their website. They actually taste really good too. However I once bought their ketchup only to realize that it was packaged in a #6 bottle. I went on the website to figure out how to contact them and found out they are owned by some big mainstream food company. I called them to let them know how ridiculous it is to package an organic product in #6 plastic and they issued me a refund. I use the kleen kanteen water bottles and sippy cups and am very happy with them.

Regarding the soft-sided lunch boxes for kids, I have found several brands that indicate they are lead-free, including some sold at Target and our local grocery store.

For packing kid's sandwiches, I use unbleached wax-paper bags. They are great for all kinds of snacks as well! The brand I found at our natural foods store is "Natural Value"; they are a nice sized bag, I have also used them for freezing smaller food items. The packaging indicates they are also safe for the microwave.

For school lunches, I'd suggest a Built lunch bag. I found mine on Amazon, but you can find them lots of places. They are made of neoprene (the 'wetsuit' material), have a zipper on top and come in cool colors. I put a little reuseable ice pack in them if I'm packing something that needs to stay cool. And if they get dirty inside? Turn it inside out and scrub it with soap and water... let it dry, and it's good to go!

Regarding Muir Glen. It is now part of General Mills. Many small organic companies have
been bought by corporate giants see http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/orgjune05.pdf
Bionaturae sells tomato paste and puree in glass bottles.
Yes, the majority of stuff out there is toxic and it is our own fault for letting the corporate bottom line define our lives. The problem is people would rather complain than give up their consumptive
lifestyles. It is called paying the piper. Pre industrial age there were no plastics, chemicals in food, in water and yet people somehow managed to live fulfilled lives with enough food, water and shelter.

This was very interesting. I am pitching my plastic water bottles and using SIGG and glass instead. BUT: What about my PUR and BRITTA water filters in the refrigerator? They don't have any markings on the bottom, but I assume, they leak "bad stuff", too??? Now, what! Anybody know about the safety of water pitchers?

I've just bought Lock & Lock stainless steel water bottles. Didn't realize right away that they have silver-plating inner coating. Are they still safe to use?

Petra, Generally speaking, when a plastic item has no recycling symbol on it, we suggest that you contact the manufacturer to find out. In this case, you can visit Brita's web site to learn more (though I didn't see the plastic info) or call at 1-800-24-BRITA.

The Soft Landing blog/store has some info on Brita filter plastic here: http://tinyurl.com/48yrj5. Also, the Green Guide answered the Brita question back in 2004: http://tinyurl.com/5cdpfn.

And the ACC has a comprehensive polymer symbol chart here that includes properties, uses, and recycled products: http://tinyurl.com/2ctgfu.

leasi, I would contact Lock & Lock ans inquire if they have characterized the amount and type of silver that contaminates water and other beverages stored in the containers under a variety of typical use conditions.

There are some potential human health concerns associated with exposure to silver nanoparticles, and more alarming potential environmental impacts expected with release of silver nanoparticles into streams and rivers through treated wastewater. FDA and EPA do not have any policies in place to require health and safety testing of nanoparticle pesticides or any other nano-sized substances, despite emerging science indicating that nanoparticles can have dramatically different chemical and biological effects than larger sized particles.

We have not tested in this area ourselves, so have no direct info to provide here. How did you know it was a silver lining?

Anyone have a good alternative to freezer zip lock bags for storing things like bulk meat? Or are they okay (other than the environmental impact, of course)? I also make my own baby food and generally store it in freezer ziplocks.

Based on everything I've been reading today about chemicals and still needing further research for some, my question is how long have they been adding these chemicals to our products to see if these are actually what's causing cancer, etc or the increase in cancers in our society?

I stopped using plastic after I heard about the potential health problems and I tried metal water bottles. I didn't particularly enjoy using metal because of the taste, so I found a glass water bottle that I enjoy using and have used every day for the past 7 months! (I usually use a bottle for a few days then get grossed out by it b/c the metal gets white spots or whatever, so I have more than gotten my moneys worth!!)

I liked them so much that my fiance and I started selling them on our green website: www.livinglavidaverde.net

I love drinking out of glass, it tastes much cleaner and like water!!

I have stopped using plastics and switched to glass as much as possible, but I agree with Hotmama (heehee I find it funny saying that) but I'm going to drive my self crazy worrying about everything. It feels like every time I turn around there is something else to worry about and this is now way to live a life.

I also want to know what are safe back to school supplies. ie. backpacks, lunchboxes, containers for food and water.

Thanks EWG.

I've learned various knowledge about plastics and what it brings to us,for our health. Stuff nowadays are very scary, we can't tell if its safe for us or not. How about the innocent people or the uneducated ones they may have no knowledge about this. But I do hope that we can eliminate the use of plastics so that we can be free from any harm of it. So that we can live and build a new green world. I do know a very safe lunch box that is quite affordable - Happy Tiffin http://www/happytiffin.com Check how great it is.