The environmental media has been saying that plastic drink bottles and promotional plastic water bottles with BPA (bisphenol A) are bad for us.  A Harvard study has shown that drinking from plastic (polycarbonate) bottles increases the amount of BPA in your system 69 percent.

A recent Harvard study using 77 student volunteers showed that after one weeks use of polycarbonate plastic bottles increased the amount of BPA in the students urine by 69 percent.  The students were given a stainless steel water bottle to use for one week prior to the polycarbonate bottles.  Urine was tested after the stainless steel bottle was used and came up with a minimum of BPA.

Then each student was given two polycarbonate bottles to use.  The bottles were not cleaned in a dishwasher and only cold liquids were used.  The urine samples came back positive for a BPA increase of 69 percent as noted above.

Why should this bother anyone?  Well, BPA has been shown to alter the endocrine system causing early sexual development in laboratory animals.  Changes in mammary glands, increased prostate size and reduced sperm count are also products of BPA ingestion.

Not only are lab animals affected by the ingestion of BPA, but humans are as well.  A connection has been shown between BPA and such problems as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver disease.  All very frightening chronic ailments.

Although ingested BPA is out of your system within six hours, continuous use of BPA bottles and food storage containers keep the substance almost continuously in our bodies.

Polycarbonate is lightweight durable and heat-resistant which is why it is used for food storage containers.  BPA isn’t found only in plastic containers but is also used as a composite liner for aluminum food containers and drink cans.  Polycarbonate plastic with BPA has the recycle number seven on the bottom of the container.

Many plastic drink bottles are being made out of BPA free plastics.  Unless that water bottle expressly says it is free of BPA, don’t use it.  Also see if that metal water bottle contains a liner.  That also may have BPA in it.  Stainless Steel water bottles are the best water bottles to use if you can’t use glass.

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Entry was posted on Monday, May 25th, 2009 at 4:04 pm under Green Technology, Health.

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