My flowers are beginning to droop and they look like beautiful badminton birdies. A very hazy day.
While BPA, toxic bisphenol-A, has been making top news for a couple for months now, new sources continue to surface. The most obvious source that came to light was the hard clear polycarbonate bottles that Nalgene capitalized on. Add to it baby bottles, cups, bowls etc, and then canned foods. I always did wonder why the tin didn't react to foods. How about that? Most canned foods leach BPA. That's a lot of food sources. That was half my pantry.
Make no mistake, there is no question that BPA leaches, even the high powered money flushed plastics industry (remember plastic comes from oil) admits to it. The question is whether it is safe. And you guessed it, the plastic industry claims safety.
A recent review of BPA studies showed that all, 11 out of 11, of the studies funded by the plastic companies concluded the levels of BPA were safe. Not surprising. While out of the government funded studies, 104 of them, over 90, deemed the leached levels as unsafe for a variety of reasons including cell damage, cancer, and genitalia alterations. BPA and other hormone disrupting chemicals are affectionately called gender benders. I know where my bet is.
Now I learn that wine has been found to have BPA. Is nothing sacred? So how did it get there? Apparently two sources - the plastic stoppers (it's true) and vats lined with plastic that store the wine. Apparently the concrete vats have the most potential because they are lined with epoxy. Wow. This has ruined my day, especially since I am not a fan of oak.
It seems plastic linings, or epoxy, are everywhere. Aren't aluminum SIGG bottles lined with an epoxy? They sure are. I wonder what's in their bottle?
But don't give up. Be a wise consumer and fight for your right to know and health safety. Get involved. Spread the word. Tell your friends and neighbors. Meanwhile, if you find a good organic red wine processed NOT in plastic, please let me know.
4 comments:
Is any plastic safe to heat up food in? And if not, does anyone market galss (or ceramic or whatever) containers designed to use to re-heat food?
Marie D. Bow NH
Depends upon who you listen to. The makers of plastic will say they are safe but the science is making it questionable.To be safe than sorry, do not heat up in plastic. If you have a microwavable dinner, put it in a glass container. You can purchase covered glass bakeware anywhere.
I'm wondering about boxed wine...what about the plastic bag that holds the wine - does that contain BPA? I once called a couple of the big boxed wine manufacturers and of course, no one claimed to have any idea what type of plastic it is. Do any of you know?
The plastic bags in boxes is more than likely like a zip lock bag which is made from LDPE (low density polyethylene)which is your number 4 plastic. Maybe if you ask the company to verify it is LDPE you might get a response. Hope this helps. Keep asking those questions!
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