Beware BPA Exposure, Says the FDA (At Last!)

Why does this look to me like another (obvious) argument against letting an industry self-regulate and self-test?

Today, Lindsay Layton of the Washington Post revealed that after years of rumblings from the scientific, medical and public health communities, the FDA has finally expressed concerns that perhaps Bisphenol A - the chemical compound used to harden plastics in water bottles, can liners, food storage containers and a host of other products - might not be as safe as two studies funded by the chemical industry asserted it was.

In choosing these two studies for its decision to bless BPA as safe, Layton writes, the FDA "ignored more than 100 published studies by government scientists and university laboratories that raised health concerns about BPA. Recent data found health effects even at low doses of BPA -- lower than the levels considered safe by the FDA."

In response, a representative from the American Chemistry Council stood by the study results due to the convenience and usefulness of BPA: "Plastics made with BPA contribute safety and convenience to our daily lives because of their durability, clarity and shatter-resistance. Can liners and food-storage containers made with BPA are essential components to helping protect the safety of packaged foods. . . . ACC remains committed to consumer safety, and will continue to review new scientific studies concerning the safety of BPA."

While BPA is used in a wide variety of products, you do have alternatives if you choose to question the chemical industry's two self-serving studies, and prefer to follow the weight of scientific evidence and the FDA's belated advice to avoid exposure.

Here are just a few tips to help you and your family stay safe:

• Shop naked - buying naked produce, that is, not wearing your birthday suit. For one thing, you'll be able to see all sides of your fruits or veggies; for another, you'll be keeping those Styrofoam trays and shrinkwrap plastic covers out of landfills....and avoiding the BPA in food wrap.
• Store food in Pyrex, Corningware or other nonporous, chemically inert materials rather than plastic, especially if it is still warm.
  
• When you buy reusable water bottles, choose stainless steel rather than plastic or aluminum.
• If you microwave food, use wax paper to cover it rather than plastic wrap.Don't microwave food in plastic bags or cover hot foods with plastic wrap.
• Before you buy pacifiers, teething rings, bottles, nipples or other baby gear, check to be sure it has "BPA-Free" on the label.  Look for stainless steel sippy cups rather than plastic.

 For a good guideline to the materials that do and do not contain BPA, check out this article from the Environmental Working Group.

How Can You Recognize a BPA-Free Bottle After the SIGG Scandal?

They were supposed to be one of the greenest green companies...their signature bottles sold in organic groceries, yoga studios, health centers and more. But today there's a national uproar over the BPA found in the liners of SIGG baby bottles made before 2008.

Sigg Aluminum Baby Bottles Has Trace Amounts of BPA - ABC News
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If the first lesson of green marketing -- transparency -- needed to be demonstrated, there couldn't be a better case study.

• While SIGG was aware of the BPA in the liners since 2006 - and was evidently developing a BPA-free liner - they continued to imply that their bottles were safe and eco-friendly (though they claim they never specifically said they were BPA-free).
• Now, knowing of the contamination, they are giving consumers information to identify and return the pre-2008 bottles for exchange, though customers must pay shipping charges, and SIGG will not refund the purchase price. News stories emphasize - this is not a recall.

The key question of the story, however, is not just SIGG's downfall and questionable ethics, but also the impact on green companies producing similar products with similar claims of safety. Who can be trusted? What level of safety is necessary for consumers to feel comfortable?

The answer, again, lies in transparency: who is willing to provide complete documentation for their claims of safety, and whose claims stand up under questioning?

As an eco-consultant, mom, and health-minded consumer, I advise clients to follow three steps to know if the bottles they purchase are indeed safe for themselves and their children:

• First of all, exercise a healthy curiosity and skepticism regarding unsupported claims.
• It may be tempting to buy a beautiful lined bottle - but do your homework first. Read the product information, ask the tough questions
• Find companies you can trust, who are dedicated to transparency and provide full documentation regarding their products.
• Finally, to seek out companies that have found healthier alternative to using any liners at all in their bottles.

For example, like SIGG, Green Irene offers water bottles....but there's a difference. SIGG's bottles are aluminum, decreasing their weight but also involving the possibility of a chemical reaction with their contents - thus making liners necessary.

Green Irene, on the other hand, offers a selection of food-grade stainless steel bottles that are inert and completely non-reactive to the acid/alkaline level of the water you put in them. And for this reason, they do not need any liner of any kind.

Not only this - one of Green Irene's stainless steel bottles also features a carbon filter that can remove organic and inorganic impurities including harmful organisms, chemicals and heavy metals. (pesticides, detergents, aluminum, radon 222, mercury, etc.)

There's even a Safe Sippy Cup of stainless steel with a lid made of #5 plastic or polypropylene (the safest and most stable of all plastics). All plastics used have been independently tested free of BPA and phthalates.

There is no excuse for companies that misdirect their customers to believe that products are safe when they're not. Every consumer has the right to honest answers to their questions - and safe and healthy products for themselves and their children.

Let's face it: all companies that offer reusable water bottles will - and should - face increased scrutiny in the wake of the SIGG scandal. Only those companies that demonstrate transparent dedication to the consumers' best interest, and provide solid documentation for their claims, will rise to the top.