Let's not forget that Bisphenol A is also a primary component in the dental composite fillings (those tooth-colored fillings) that many of us have in our teeth (talk about daily exposure). So while mercury-containing amalgam fillings are even worse, we're all stuck between Bisphenol A in composite fillings and expensive and somewhat unsightly gold fillings. The dental industry needs to come up with a healthier alternative than the current composites.

I am currently trying to find an alternative to composite fillings myself. I contacted a holistic dentist and he said they use ceramic fillings. Has anyone ever heard of this? Any down side?

For years, I used to reuse flimsy water bottles--filling with both hot & cold water to get room temp water (I hate cold water). I'm convinced I've poisoned myself--if it's in my body, how do I get it out?

SO if hard plastic has BPA and I go for soft plastic - doesn't that contain pthalates?? What other healthy options are there?

I take poly bottles to a water source for my supply. Can you name brands that are safe? What do others of us do who have water delivered in large poly bottles?

So if cans of formula contain BPA do the plastic Similac bottles of ready to feed formula contain it as well?

skyppies- No, the plastic bottles of ready-to-eat formula don't contain BPA as far as we know. They're made from one of the better kinds of plastic. Occasionally the glass or plastic containers will have metal lids, and these may be lined with BPA-containing resin, but that's a very minimal exposure.

Someone's posting hinted at this, but just to highlight it:

The 5-gallon water plastic bottles for water coolers/dispensers are made of polycarbonate, so especially if you're pregnant you should avoid drinking from those dispensers. At home (or if you have any input to what happens at your office) I recommend an inexpensive on-tap filtering system for the sink instead. Getting water delivered is terrible for the environment anyway. All those diesel trucks hauling water all over town.

I read somewhere that if you reuse plastic water bottles that are meant to be disposable (I think they have recycling #1 or 2 on them) they might leach phthalates over time, so that's not safe either. That probably includes the 2.5-gal rectangular jugs with the built-in dispenser (I used to refill those at the grocery filtered water dispenser when we lived somewhere with a sink that couldn't take an on-tap system).

I carry water in a 1L Sigg bottle. It's aluminum but with a food-safe coating inside; tests in Germany found that they didn't leach any aluminum or BPA. They're a bit lighter & less expensive than stainless steel bottles & the water doesn't have a metallic taste, so it's an easy way to replace your polycarbonate bottle. They're showing up more places now -- I noticed Patagonia replaced their branded Nalgene bottles with branded Sigg bottles. Probably a matter of time before places like Starbucks stop selling all that polycarbonate too.

skyppies: there is a study on the ewg webpage about ready made formula containing lots of BPA, much more than powdered formula. Be sure to look it up and read it!!!

I have two Pur water pitchers in my refrigerator... and they are mainly made from rigid, clear plastic. I am guessing they probably leach and that I would be better off to get a faucet filter..... am I on the right track??

I'm not sure what you're talking about with composite fillings--
Fillings of the last few years are either silver or porcelain which is the same thing as your bathroom sink or your bathtub. I highly doubt that this leeches BPA's.

Plastic bottles which are meant to be disposed don't LEACH chemicals... they're biodegrading, which some might say is the same thing. They're not meant to be used multiple times and if your water bottle starts to smell, that's it decomposing.

[Ed. Note: Nice name, Amanda! FYI, guys, that's not me.]

Does anyone know whether the Starbucks type heavy duty polythene to- go cups leach anything?

Sue

Do the water pressure tanks and hot water tanks have plastic linings? Do they leach BPA?

Just wanted everyone to know I just saw that CamelBak released a BPA-free plastic bottle.
www.camelbak.com

I was really bummed today when I got the spec sheet on the composites that I replaced my old amalgram fillings with -- and saw BPA as a prominent ingredient. Upon further research though, it does appear that once they are "cured" that most are comparatively safe and do not leach out anymore BPA. What a twisted, toxic world we live in.

Are gold fillings bad for your health. Would it be preferable over white fillings if it's in the back of your mouth?

I can tomatoes from our garden, are canning lids safe? Or would they be coated as a can would?

Great article. You can imagine my surprise when I lifted up the bottle I was drinking out of and saw the # 7. Let's just say I'll be buying an aluminum bottle soon.

hmm...
so is there anything really safe as far as drinking cups and sippy cups?

after all even stainless steel contains ugly stuff like nickel and other additives that can leach to acidic drinks and even to water right?

furthermore..

even if they are made of stainless steel the spouts are still made of plastic! what kind of plastic is it?

also..

superiority of flitering system over the bottled water gets me here:
after all all piping in our new home is made of plastic,
most of our home pipings are right?

any idea as to does it contain bispehenol and other unhealthy stuff? what is a trade of?

oh.. this is so twisted.

Let's all calm down for a minute...we are so lucky in this country that we have the time, and means to worry about the possibility of consuming a tiny bit of a chemical which may or may not be hazardous to our health. HALF OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER. CHILDREN DIE OF WATER BORN ILLNESSES. But here in America, we are worrying about potentially ingesting chemicals that we have been ingesting for years already. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be concerned...I am saying we should step back for a second and take a breath.

I too have been trying to avoid plastics and icky what-nots in our food. The wrap-n-matt is great from reusablebags.com although they too have a plastic lining. I want to contact them to find out if it's BPA free. Sigg and Klean Kanteen are both in my repertoire and have kids versions that I use for my daughter. there's a new sippy out there called, I believe, the "safe sippy", made from stainless.

In response to canned food and all this making your life and shopping choices tougher: these things were created for convenience, so we wouldn't have to soak and cook our own beans (or whatever), and take our food to go in neat little baggies. We are paying the price for that convenience. And if you actually believe the FDA is out there to protect you then wake up. You need to find out for yourself. Take the time to research it if it means that much to you. We wouldn't need the linings in cans so much if they would STOP FLOURIDATING OUR WATER. Don't even get me started on that one. At least we have access to clean water and whatever food we want. Can't afford organic? then buy local, look for farmer's markets, make small changes and eat more whole food. Get a crock-pot, cook your beans and take control. It may take a little longer, but perhaps it will give you more time to live.

Does anyone know what about water bottles marked with #1 ? Are they safe?

I’ve been using a water bottle from Fit & Fresh. This bottle is really cheap, just under $10, and it has a filter. I fill it with tap water from home and work and it tastes just like bottled water – only I’m not wasting any plastic. I just found out that this bottle is also BPA free so there’s more of a reason to keep using it!

For all you moms asking for more details on sippy cups, bottles, teethers, etc., check out the site SafeMama.com where you'll find tons of info on safe products for our kids. There are actually a great deal of them!
Sue - if your Starbucks cup is polyethylene (also known as PETE or recycling code #1), you're safe as long as you don't reuse it. The safest plastic to use is #5, polypropylene. #2 and #4 are good, too.
Eram - From the research I've done, BPA usually passes out of your system within 48 hours. The problem is that there is so much BPA in our everyday products that most Americans have low levels of it in their blood at any given time.
mkat - When you switch to a faucet filter, get a Brita instead of a Pur. They both do a great job filtering, but the Brita filters out 4 more potentially toxic chemicals than the Pur.

Some SGG bottle look a likes have lead paint on them. Avoid look a likes.

While there is certainly reason to be concerned about dental fillings, it's also important to remember that generations agogtooth decay and its resulting infection used to be a leading cause of death! And my parents suffered terribly as children due to lack of good dental care. As we progress in this era of environmental paranoia, we have to keep our heads -- or the stress of worrying about all these things is going to kill us first.

I AM LOSING SLEEP!!!!I have 2500 lbs. of food in #2 food grade plastic. I am freeking out. I have worked sooo hard to have a year supply of food. I was going to switch over to mylar but that is made out of plastic too. What I have is grains, beans, rice, oats. HELP ME. What should I do????????

Keri, the very first thing you should do is take a REALLY DEEP BREATH.

There. Now: #2 plastic does not contain BPA, so that's not a risk for your food storage scheme. #2 plastic is HDPE and is considered food-safe. Now get some sleep!

which brands of water (ozarka, etc)bottles have less BPA?

Rana, disposable water bottles made of #1 (PET) plastic don't contain any BPA at all.

I work in the plastics industry, and I think BPA is being way over-hyped. BPA has been used for over 40 years, and although we do have low levels of BPA in our systems, it's in the less than 5 parts per billion level. Please take a moment to visit this site: http://www.bisphenol-a.org/ to calm your fears. There are worse toxins that do far more damage that we don't focus on in our environment. Chances are, you'll probably die from something else long before BPA.

Thanks for being honest about your place of employment, Ann -- I'm not surprised to hear that you don't think BPA is anything to worry about, especially if you're buying into what you're reading on the website you mentioned.

(OH LOOK! THE PEOPLE TRYING TO SELL BPA THINK IT'S OKAY! WHEW, THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE.)

What's sad right now is that people die from "something else" all the time -- it's called cancer, and it may well be caused by BPA.

OK. So you work in the plastics industry. How many times a day are you exposed? Think about it. Do you really believe that your body can continue to detoxify all these "little exposures?" Especially since our food is 25% less nutritious, etc. The big, greedy plastics companies have asked the scientific questions to get the answers they want. Remember Big Tobacco?
I can say this: we should all Detox more.
Get Your Health On!

Luckily there's a bunch of bpa free water bottles available now. I preordered the titan water bottle (www.titanwaterbottle.com)cause it's made for use when biking, hiking, climbing, etc but it's on order and I wont get it for another month so I got a camelba better bottle to hold me over until then.

So is the Pur water dispenser polycarbonate? I know our Vitamix and Ktec blender are. Those two appliances cost about 850 dollars now we can't use them?? Does anyone know for sure, I know for sure the Ktec is polycarbonate. Shoot. We bought these three things to try to be healthier!

The BPA-free Camelback water bottles are 30% off at REI and I just bought 2 this past weekend. And no, I don't work for REI.

I have read much of the discussion on plastics. You all may want to read the work of Dr. Doris Rapp, quadruple board certified in Homeopathy,
Pediatrics, Alergens, and she is one of less than 300 doctors in the world certified in environmental medicine. I think you will be much more concerned about tiny levels of plastic when you read her books. It is quite possible that parts per trillion are effecting our children. did you know that now 1 out of 10,000 live births result in the birth of hermorphordites, meaning they have male and femals sexual organs. I would say we have a problem right now. Her work is amazing. One of her books in OUr Toxic World it will really wake you up. All these industry insiders have hidden agendas. There are over 100,000 chemicals in commercial use and less than 15% have ever been tested for what they do to us. Do you think that is good or bad?

Peter

Anna,
Where can I find the Fit & Fresh water bottle?

Z recs is a great blog with tons of safe and unsafe products and even a text messaging feature that you can enter in the product you are concerned about and it will text you back its safety level. this relates to baby things; bottles, sippy cups, eating ware and pacifiers i believe.

Does anyone know of particular composites that do not contain Bisphenol A?

I have read (and learned from a researcher on this subject) that bis-DMA is broken down into BPA, by saliva.

I've heard Bis-GMA is safer.

Anyone researched this and know of particular composite names?

Thanks much

A group of GPs who acknowledge that we are at risk from all these substances, use a variety of methods to detox. The method that I use, recommended by them, is a portable far infrared blanket.Their tests show heavy metals, neurotoxins and numerous other nasties are reduced and hopefully eventually eliminated.

Any information on Brita rectanguar water systems that sit in the frige or on the table with a spout?

I found this very useful! Listing of Rubbermaid products with BPA and without BPA:

http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/bpa-info.jhtml

I will stop using my Stain Shield sandwich container for food and find some other use for it.

howdy, I have been boycotting "disposable" plastic products for 18 months. Started cos I hated what it was doing to environmnet but as I find out more, worry about what it might be doing for me. I have sourced lots of plastic free alternatives. You might find them useful. Many of them are England related but hey you might move there. go to www.plasticisrubbish.wordpress.com
Pamx

Some reusable polycarbonate water bottles (we won't name names), marketed as non-leaching because they minimize plastic taste and odor, may still leach trace amounts of BPA.

We won't name names?

How about growing a backbone before you grow a website!

I too am concerned about the toxins my family is exposed to and I thought i was doin a good thing when I signed up for home delivery from a repuatable spring water co. in my area, then I ordered SIGG bottles for the whole family. Now I find out the 5gal container is potentially toxic, and all the food containers I thought were better are areally not... I think I'll go get a GLASS of TAP water and lie down

My local Dick's Sporting Goods store had a solid supply of the new Camelback bottles all bearing the BPH-A free label today.

I wear dental partials with BPA...my liver must be the size of a house

Ann, I too am not surprised that you think BPA is ok since you work in the plastics industry. For the love of god, it is a SYNTHETIC ESTROGEN!!! Our bodies are programmed to respond to hormones, and it takes very little to do damage. Baby boys exposed to BPA are showing signs of feminization; would you still be so quick to say it's ok if your son was one of these babies? Just because we don't have huge levels of it in our bodies does not mean that it is not harmful. Endocrine disruptors are some of the most insidiously harmful chemicals that exist today. You are correct in stating that there are plenty of other toxic chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis, but that hardly means we should overlook the significance of the BPA problem. I find it incredibly sad that we live in one of the most advanced nations in the world, but our government has failed miserably when it comes to allowing chemicals to contaminate our food, water and environment. The system is backwards; these substances should be proven safe BEFORE they are allowed to be used, not the other way around.
Panic is not the answer either, but we should be doing everything we can to educate the public and get our elected officials to pass legislation that will protect our babies and kids. Unfortunately, the manufacturers that use BPA likely will have to be forced to stop using it, but that won't happen until we demand it.

To the person concerned about the plastic pipes: I don't know about the possible bpa content in pipes (or in hot water tanks for that matter), but one thing you should do each morning - something we should all do regardless of what your pipes are made of - is run your tap at full blast for at least 30 seconds to flush out the water that's been sitting in the pipes overnight. This water has the highest concentration of leached chemicals.

Does anyone know anything about levels of hormones and nanoparticles and medications in municipally treated and then tap-filtered water? Thanks, Christina

33 years ago, when pregnant with my son, I read Adele Davis's "Lets Have Healthy Children" in which she recommended against stainless steel cookware because stainless releases toxins into food when scratched. Thinking that things might have improved since then, I purchased a stainless steel lined water distiller for countertop use. But after more research I find that stainless steel over time, even if not scratched, will release nickel into water or food. I'm now investigating an all glass distiller. As far as I can see, glass is the only safe container for food or water, and that is after the initial contents are emptied, since all glass containers, according to Dr. Hulda Clark, contain trace amounts of benzene from the 'sterilization' process. I've switched to all glass frig containers, and pretty much removed plastic from the kitchen. I still have stainless flatware, since silver doesn't seem to be better. I also use paper sandwich bags whenever possible. I also am trying to find skin care products packaged in glass. Even if phthalates or BPA are not used, most cosmetic, etc., containers are not recyclable.

I bought the BPA free Nalgene water bottles for myself and my kids, but just noticed that it still has a #7 on the bottom of it. Does that mean it is not safe?

I just found out today that normal canning metal lids do have BPA. Because you heat it it does seep into food. weckcanning.com has just glass lids with the rubber gasket and metal clasp. They aren't horrible in price.

Do the transparent Invisalign braces contain BPA?

I worked in the plastics industry for 12 years. We made polycarb sheet and sold it to companies to make safety glasses and many other products. It would plug the pipes in the machines that made the sheet. We had to burn the plastic out of the pipes with acetaline torches. It would create a black thick smoke that we were breathing. The company never told us of the hazards involved with this stuff. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004. I had radical prostatectomy surgery in Jan of 2005. I now have real problems with incontenance and erectile disfunction. I was 50 years old when I had the surgery. I would recommend people to stay as far away from BPA as possible. It is a very dangerous product. Please protect your children from this stuff. Do whatever you can to rid the world of BPA. This should not be taken lightly it is clearly a serious health problem.

to amy about the canning jars. it depends on what jars you use. if you are using the ones our grandmother used years ago with the metal flip top locking mechanism then you are safe...bpa wasnt used until the mid to late 90's. as for the self locking mason jars usually i put a layer of wax over my preserves (as i make jellies, jams, and preserves.) this protects the produce from bacteria,mold, leakage, and anything that might be on the lid waiting to cause perishing to our precious canned goods. if your NOT using wax. its cheap, near the jello called canning wax put out by the knox company.

Re: May 9th posting by Ann mentioning www.bisphenyl-a-org
This site is sponsored by the American Chemistry Council (checked with easywhois), and they proudly announce on their page that they represent "leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry, including significant business groups such as the Plastics Division and the Chlorine Chemistry Division."

The best is GLASS. Period!

PYREX and ANCHOR produce more and more containers to replace plastic.

I bought today a bunch.
NO plastic for food in my house anymore.

The problem is age old, good verses evil.
The battle will end at the end of times.

We can try and try to protect ourselves but every time we find out a new toxin there are 50 we don't know about.

If we really want to avoid all the toxins the FDA is allowing to be tested on the general public then we have to live a totally different life then the general public.

We are surrounded by temptation and traps sold to us by the media.
If you live like the romans you die like the romans.
If anyone thinks we are not being sold, look at the rate of childhood cancer.
We are lab rats and feeder rats and we are feeding the trillon dollar machines.
My 2 cents

I always thought that Aluminum products for food use was also bad for us. Isn't it illegal to use these types of products for any cookware in Europe? I do know that trying to grow corn in soil that has high levels of Aluminum stunts the growth of the corn plant. Of course we have scientist tryint to develope genetic corn to have the ability to grow in that type of soil. What we need is some type of comprehensive type of info that give us a complete breakdown of the chemiclas used in their prodcts.

I buy bottled water from Crystal Rock/Vermont Springs (5 gal. containers.) After reading about the dangers of BPA I checked the recycle label on these bottles and found them to be #7!

I called the company today and mentioned this to the customer service representative. She said that they have #1 plastic containers available and asked if I would prefer those. I said I would so, from now on my water will be delivered in #1 containers. I know that #1 isn't ideal, but at this point, I feel it is a better choice than #7.

I agree that glass (as far as I know...) is probably the safest container at this point. If you are thinking of buying glass food storage containers, I would recommend Pyrex over Anchor unless you also would like your containers to be oven-proof. I have both brands. The Anchor containers that I have are much thicker and heavier than the Pyrex ones and the tops of the Anchor brand containers have a much looser fit than those of the Pyrex containers.

Both the lighter weight and tight fitting lids make the Pyrex containers a better choice for on-the-go containers, like bringing your lunch to work in.

It should be noted that the recycling code 7 signifies "other", which means it can not be recycled. This usually is because it is a blend of other plastics, or it is a new plastic that hasn't received a recyling number yet. So it could be harmless when containing food products. The plastics you should avoid are 3 (polyvinyl chloride) and 6 (polystyrene).

After read this article I wonder how much I have in my system. But we all have to die some day. now i will know some more thing to stay away from.

Bryan, That's interesting about #7 plastic being an "other" category and not recyclable. I didn't know that. In fact, the caveat we hear is that #7 plastic COULD contain BPA. I assume that my bottled water company's bottles must have done so since they have made #1 bottles available to their customers.

While the focus, at present, is on the dangers of BPA in certain plastics, any kind of plastic is suspect in my mind. I agree with the poster who said that a substance should not be used until tested by independent labs and proven safe beyond a reasonable doubt.

Of course, there is also the fact that, despite our ability to recycle some plastic, there is much of it that is not recyled and gets into the environment in one way or another, creating various hazards (like plastic bags suffocating animals). So avoiding its use is great. But a current "green" idea is to buy a bottle that you can reuse and then fill with tap water. Frankly, you couldn't pay me to drink tap water. It may be true that tap water (as SIGG claims) is 2500 times cheaper than bottled water. In my opinion, safe water is worth the money. Not only that, buying water that is delivered in 5 gallon bottles is vastly less expensive than buying individual bottles. Two things would make it much better though: Delivering it in glass the way it used to be, and mandatory testing for pollutants.

I have a ceramic filling that was recently put in. It replaced an aging amalgum filling. The results are excellent. It takes a bit longer than usual, there is a photo, a machine that mills a shaped hole, and a machine that mills a corresponding ceramic piece. When it all comes together the tooth is stronger and less temperature sensitive than any amalgum or composite filling. Expensive, but very good.

I am a Dental Hygienist. I have CEREC restorations in my mouth. They are precision fit porcelain. You can go to cerec.com (or do a search) to find a dentist that does them.
They can only be done in place of a large filling. They are also expensive. Regarding amalgams...the mercury is not a concern until you have the filling REMOVED from your mouth, then the mercury is released. A good dentist will only remove amalgam when it is absolutely necessary. My boss states that in other countries, silver fillings are banned from children and pregnant women...if that's the case, it should be banned from everyone, duh.
On another note, when I was in Hygiene school in the 80's, it was when Aspartame made it's appearance. My Nutritional Bio professor mentioned it was banned everywhere else except the US..I have never forgotten that fact and I have avoided it since then. I also recently read in the news that Canada is currently in the process of banning BPA. I would suggest listening to what is banned in other countries.

Does anyone know if the Brita and Pur water filters will filter out BPA?

Re: Kor's comment, Sept. 23rd, about avoiding tap water and to buy bottled water instead. You may want to do some research on where your bottled water is coming from. The source of your bottled water may be worse than the tap water you avoid. Many companies are using purified "grey" water to fill their bottles with. I don't know about you, but I would much rather use a tap filtration system in my home than to drink "purified" waste water. Granted there are companies out there that really do use mountain spring water that has been purified and still leaves the minerals that we all need, but they are few and far between. Therefore we all need to research and be comfortable with the water we are consuming and what we are holding that water in.

I recently had some blood tests done and was found to have elevated liver enzymes. My doctor performed other tests and could find no reason for the elevation. I have been drinking water out of a plastic bottle for years because of the convience. I checked the bottles I use most often and found the 7 on the bottom. If these bottles contain BPA and are causing the higher liver elevation, how long before a detox could occur to bring those levels to the normal range.?

I was diagnosed with, and had surgery for, "neuroendocrine atypical carcinoid tumor" this year. It's considered a very rare cancer - yet my oncologist says that he's seeing more cases recently. I'm wondering if there is a connection here - neuroendocrine carcinoid(hormonal) and BPA. They've already admitted a connection to prostate and breast cancer.... I wonder if we will ever be told the REAL truth - it would probably bankrupt the USA even more than it already is!!!

As a research and public health advocacy organization, we cannot comment on a specific medical conditio. These decisions are entirely within the sphere of judgment that every person makes for themselves, in consultation with their physician.

That said, there is extremely strong scientific evidence that exposure to environmental pollutants as well as many chemicals in consumer products is linked to a risk of cancer.

And, we recommend Dr. Devra Davis's 2007 book 'The Secret History of the War on Cancer.' It is a powerful eye-opener on the history of cancer research and treatment, as well as the unbalanced focus on treatment only rather than treatment *and* prevention that still affects the way our medical system approaches this complex disease.

You can find the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-History-War-Cancer/dp/0465015662

Jann, Thank you for your comment. We don't know if BPA could cause liver enzyme elevation. The good news is that a healthy adult can rapidly metabolize and excrete BPA, meaning that by avoiding known sources you can quickly reduce your BPA levels.

The problem is that most everyone has detectable BPA indicating daily or nearly daily contact with the chemical. Avoid canned foods and putting hot liquids in polycarbonate plastic are important first steps. But be aware that as individuals we can't fully eliminate our ingestion of this chemical. we need conclusive action by health agencies to remove BPA from food packaging, and study other sources of exposure.

What about finding a company that sells pure spring water bottled in GLASS bottles?

Why aren't there any companies out there doing this? ? ?

They could make a fortune if they did this... I would buy it exclusively for my drinking water....

Great article!

i agree w/ Bill ... glass bottles as an available option to consumers should be mandated