The actions may seem premature given the need to solve the mysteries surrounding BPA. But recalling past hazards with mercury and lead in consumer products, Hunt feels caution is justified. “It’s not like this has never happened before,” she notes. “Now what we have to do is raise awareness and start looking at these products differently—and ask questions about whether they should be making their way into our everyday environment.”

Note: This article was originally published with the title, " Safety Dance over Plastic".

8 Comments

1. 1. ChrisJones 09:32 AM 8/26/08

   So, what would be the impact of the removal of BPA from plastics intended for food/beverage containers or, obviously, bio-research?

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2. 2. PrimevilKneivel 03:24 PM 8/26/08

   Besides millions of dollars in cost we would be replacing it with something possibly more harmful and less understood.
   
   I'd read a report from the EU stating that BPA had no effect on primates as it wasn't absorbed into our bodies. I'd be curious to know more about that. I don't see how this could be hazardous and yet not have caused any harm in humans, this product has been widely available for decades.

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3. 3. George_Bittner 01:49 PM 9/5/08

   Legislators, consumers, and regulatory agencies should have well-justified concerns about the estrogenic activity (EA) exhibited by BPA and phthalates in water bottles and other plastics like baby bottles. While estrogens occur naturally in the body, many scientific studies have shown that significant health problems can occur when chemicals are ingested that mimic or block the actions of these female sex hormones; the fetus, newborn, or young child is especially vulnerable.
   However, BPA and phthalates are just two of several hundred chemicals that exhibit EA in plastics. These chemicals having EA leach from almost all plastics sold today, including polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, etc. That is, plastics advertised as BPA-free or phthalate-free are not EA-free; almost all these plastics still leach chemicals having EA  and often have more total EA than plastics that release BPA or phthalates.
   Current legislation is attempting to solve this problem by removing chemicals having EA (BPA, phthalates) one at a time. This approach, for legislators or the FDA, is not an appropriate solution for consumers because thousands of chemicals used in plastics exhibit EA, not just BPA and phthalates. This approach is a marketing-driven solution, not a health-driven solution. The appropriate health-driven solution is to manufacture safer plastics that are EA-free. This is not a pie-in-the-sky solution, as the technology already exists to produce EA-free plastics that also have the same advantageous physical properties, as do almost all existing EA-releasing plastics on the market today. In fact, some of these advanced-technology EA-free plastics are already in the marketplace. The cost of these safer EA-free plastics are just pennies more than EA-releasing plastics, when both are used to manufacture the same product in similar quantities.

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4. 4. RhinoEQ-300 08:33 AM 9/19/08

   The real solution is to use glass.

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5. 5. Honeybees3 02:38 PM 10/11/08

   I have been stuggling with a horrible mystery rash for over a year. 2 rounds of very strong steroids, creams, lotions, biopsies, blood tests, etc... can not determine what it is. It is not from something I am touching. It is on the upper inside of my arms & thighs. It flares up twice a month, during ovulation & menstration. When I saw that BPA chemicals found in plastics are linked to horomones, it started making sense. I used to use plastic for everything -packing, heating, freezing lunches & dinners, drink containers, everthing. I couldn't remember the last time I had used a ceramic or glass dish due to always being on the run.
   
   Since I have eliminated as much plastic as possible from my food and drink sources, my rash has diminished significantly & has continued to a little more each month. This did what all the steroids, creams & lotions could not. It finally provided a clue & some relief.
   
   The rash flared up a little more this month because I have been eating out more recently & not watching / knowing what my food / drink has been stored in.
   
   I want more information about BPA testing. What should I be asking for?

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6. 6. yosef 06:14 PM 3/20/10

   One place to check for bisphenol-a leaching is in plastic bottles of alcoholic drinks; the leaching may be associated with hightened depression as per personal anecdotal observation.

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7. 7. oneyedjack37 02:44 PM 8/27/10

   Glass, glass and glass; oh, and no cooking with utensils that are coated with crap.

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8. 8. gaiusgracchus 12:12 PM 1/1/12

   BPA is also in most canned food liners. One of the worst foods are acidic like tomatoes since they leach much more BPA from the liners.
   If you do a web search on BPA cancer research, you can find articles like this:
   http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/68/7/2076.short
   http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/11/5624.short
   http://www.breastcancerfund.org/assets/pdfs/bpaandbc_factsheet_120808.pdf
   http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/1/7/515.short
   
   along with many others.
   
   We have gotten rid of all canned food and use GlassLock containers instead of plastic. You can find some manufacturers that are using non-BPA lined cans and jars. For tomatoes we use Pomi Tetra paks and Eden tomato products in jars.
   

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