BPA
It’s Bisphenol A, or, you know, BPA for those of us who need more acronyms in our lives. That is the chemical leaching from the inside of the #7 plastic eco-groovy Nalgene water bottle you bought to help save planet earth. Remember? So you could drink tap water? It’s healthy and refreshing.
The Nalgene “Lexan” is the water bottle I owned up until a few days ago when I attacked mine with a hammer for poisoning me. It creatively obeyed the laws of physics and struck me in the head. I returned it to REI. The green-vested sales associate was not explicitly judgmental about the return. But I could tell that she noticed that our dishwasher has not been performing impressively of late. I think it’s the hard water. Or maybe I am not using the correct amount of soap. But everything is coming out with this nice milky film and a coarse grainy texture. It is perfect for impressing dinner guests. Anyway, the water bottle had seen better days, but REI Lady took it off my hands and I went shopping for something that would carry my water without causing neurological damage (I have had quite enough, thank you). I bought a stainless steel “Kleen Kanteen” and a cheap-looking #2 plastic Nalgene. Now I am safe from ever getting cancer.
I would be, anyway, if I could avoid the other kajillions of polycarbonate plastics BPA is used to produce. According to the National Institute of Health, BPA is present in food and drink packaging, coatings of food cans, bottle tops, water supply lines, and even dental sealants and tooth coatings. Yes, it is in my pipes, and on my number 2 maxillary molar. Grand.
Thankfully, the National Institute of Health, National Toxicology Program loves me and cares about whether or not I can fall asleep without fixating on the BPA dripping from my teeth. The NIH convened an expert panel in the first week of August to “review and assess scientific studies on the potential reproductive and developmental hazards” of BPA. This panel of 12 independent scientists (which included Gandalf the Gray and Yoda) looked at a whole bunch of data with lots of charts and graphs and statistical formulas. Then, it released its conclusions on the effects of BPA on pregnant women and fetuses, infants, children and boring old adults.
The American Chemistry Council (which “represents the companies that make modern life possible”) was extremely happy with the study’s results. In a reassuring press release, Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council’s Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group is quoted as saying, “The safety of our products is our top priority. The conclusions reported today provide strong reassurance to consumers that they are not at risk from use of products made from Bisphenol A.” Yay!
But before you go and start eating packaged food or getting dental work done, read the Draft Meeting Summary. It is available online at (big long web address alert) http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/draftBPA_MtgSumm080807.pdf.. It is true that in the report the 12 scientists express “minimal” or “negligible” concern about BPA affecting the prostate, accelerating puberty, or causing birth defects and malformations, which is pretty good news. But then, the panel goes and expresses “some concern” that exposure to BPA causes neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children. I wonder, how did the panel of experts express that concern? Maybe with a collective low volume, slightly agitated, “oh no?” Or maybe a “good gracious?”
Hard to say. Perhaps that information will be included in the final expert panel report, which will be available this fall. When it arrives you (and every environmental group and chemical corporation under the sun) will be able to submit comments before the NIH releases its final word on whether current BPA exposure levels are a risk to human development and reproduction. Then we’ll all know for sure for sure for sure. Meanwhile, I am drinking filtered rain water from my stainless steel water bottle. And, I am getting wooden teeth.
It’s Bisphenol A, or, you know, BPA for those of us who need more acronyms in our lives. That is the chemical leaching from the inside of the #7 plastic eco-groovy Nalgene water bottle you bought to help save planet earth. Remember? So you could drink tap water? It’s healthy and refreshing.
The Nalgene “Lexan” is the water bottle I owned up until a few days ago when I attacked mine with a hammer for poisoning me. It creatively obeyed the laws of physics and struck me in the head. I returned it to REI. The green-vested sales associate was not explicitly judgmental about the return. But I could tell that she noticed that our dishwasher has not been performing impressively of late. I think it’s the hard water. Or maybe I am not using the correct amount of soap. But everything is coming out with this nice milky film and a coarse grainy texture. It is perfect for impressing dinner guests. Anyway, the water bottle had seen better days, but REI Lady took it off my hands and I went shopping for something that would carry my water without causing neurological damage (I have had quite enough, thank you). I bought a stainless steel “Kleen Kanteen” and a cheap-looking #2 plastic Nalgene. Now I am safe from ever getting cancer.
I would be, anyway, if I could avoid the other kajillions of polycarbonate plastics BPA is used to produce. According to the National Institute of Health, BPA is present in food and drink packaging, coatings of food cans, bottle tops, water supply lines, and even dental sealants and tooth coatings. Yes, it is in my pipes, and on my number 2 maxillary molar. Grand.
Thankfully, the National Institute of Health, National Toxicology Program loves me and cares about whether or not I can fall asleep without fixating on the BPA dripping from my teeth. The NIH convened an expert panel in the first week of August to “review and assess scientific studies on the potential reproductive and developmental hazards” of BPA. This panel of 12 independent scientists (which included Gandalf the Gray and Yoda) looked at a whole bunch of data with lots of charts and graphs and statistical formulas. Then, it released its conclusions on the effects of BPA on pregnant women and fetuses, infants, children and boring old adults.
The American Chemistry Council (which “represents the companies that make modern life possible”) was extremely happy with the study’s results. In a reassuring press release, Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council’s Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group is quoted as saying, “The safety of our products is our top priority. The conclusions reported today provide strong reassurance to consumers that they are not at risk from use of products made from Bisphenol A.” Yay!
But before you go and start eating packaged food or getting dental work done, read the Draft Meeting Summary. It is available online at (big long web address alert) http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/draftBPA_MtgSumm080807.pdf.. It is true that in the report the 12 scientists express “minimal” or “negligible” concern about BPA affecting the prostate, accelerating puberty, or causing birth defects and malformations, which is pretty good news. But then, the panel goes and expresses “some concern” that exposure to BPA causes neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children. I wonder, how did the panel of experts express that concern? Maybe with a collective low volume, slightly agitated, “oh no?” Or maybe a “good gracious?”
Hard to say. Perhaps that information will be included in the final expert panel report, which will be available this fall. When it arrives you (and every environmental group and chemical corporation under the sun) will be able to submit comments before the NIH releases its final word on whether current BPA exposure levels are a risk to human development and reproduction. Then we’ll all know for sure for sure for sure. Meanwhile, I am drinking filtered rain water from my stainless steel water bottle. And, I am getting wooden teeth.
posted by kyle at 9:46 PM
1 Comments:
I just checked, and REI stopped carrying the Nalgene Lexan bottles (#7) on their website. I've been drinking from these since the mid-90s, and just replaced my original set of 3 with a couple of new ones. Since my originals were purchased at REI, I thought about asking them if I could exchange them, but I felt it would be a bit too low to exchange 10 year old, heavily used bottles.
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