September 30th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Bisphenol A, or BPA, has gained a nasty reputation for running rampant in food packaging, especially plastic bottles. BPA may interfere with hormones.
So now that BPA has been widely vilified in people’s minds, the EPA plans to overhaul the way chemicals are evaluated in the United States.
The EPA proposed sweeping changes to the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, referring to it as an “inadequate tool” to help protect the public.
Environmental Protection Agency chief Lisa Jackson acknowledges the problem, saying, “Many are turning to the government for assurance that these chemicals have been assessed using the best available science. Current law doesn’t allow us to give those assurances.”
You don’t want to hear that from people who are supposed to protect us from companies trying to sneak hazardous chemicals by us.
EPA officials want to shift the burden to companies, forcing them to prove chemicals, like BPA, are safe, and to urge producers to develop more “green” chemistry.
Biodegrable plastic has already been invented, called “Bioplastic,” made from corn starch, pea starch, and vegetable oil.
Via Food Production Daily.
Image credit: septuagesima
Tags: Bioplastic, BPA, chemicals, EPA
Posted in Organic | No Comments »
September 18th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
I’m sure a lot of you have one of those metal water bottles. They’re like canteens for hippie commandos. I have one too.
Most people buy them not because they’re trendy, but because they’re supposed to be toxin free, unlike typical plastic bottles.
Turns out, SIGG brand canteens have BPA in their inner liners. So the CEO of SIGG says he’s sorry.
It is a big screw up, but being contrite and admitting your mistake is an endearing move. CEO of SIGG Switzerland Steve Wasik said:
“I have learned much over the past two weeks. I learned that many of you purchased Sigg bottles – not just because they were free from leaching and safe – but because you believed that Siggs contained no BPA.
“I learned that, although Sigg never marketed the former liner as ‘BPA Free’ we should have done a better job of both clearly communicating about our liner as well as policing others who may have misunderstood the Sigg message.”
Truth be told, and not to let SIGG off the hook, he does make a point. If they never said their products are BPA-free and people just assumed they were. It is an example of consumer stupidity.
But these are challenges businesses face—i.e. people can be dumb-dumbs—so you have to do research and stops problem before something like this happens.
Via Food Production Daily and The Huffington Post.
Image credit: SIGG.
Tags: BPA
Posted in Health | 2 Comments »
June 30th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is a compound found in the liner of aluminum cans and used to make hard plastic. Over the years, BPA has been under ever-increasing scrutiny.
Last year, BPA was found into interfere with brain cells and cause learning impairments. That’s why states like Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware wanted it banned.
Many claim the FDA is too relaxed on BPA. So Wednesday, a group of companies, foundations and advocacy groups petitioned the FDA to better ensure the soundness of research on the safety of BPA.
The coalition claims the Food & Drug Administration is too dependent on industry-data and that the BPA industry wishes to prevent regulation and protect industries that use Bisphenol-A.
Without government-backed regulation companies that produce and use BPA will have no reason to investigate the potential health consequences of the chemical. If the FDA were to put pressure on the BPA industry, it would force manufacturers to develop a safe alternative.
Listen, the government has to protect us from potentially harmful products, because companies don’t care. For example, in 2001—NOT 1801—a company was fined $500,000 for selling flammable children’s pajamas.
Hard to believe stuff like this is still going on today!
Via Red Green and Blue.
Tags: Bisphenol-A, FDA
Posted in The Environment | No Comments »
June 22nd, 2009 - Laura Klein
It’s hard to imagine that there’s even more reasons to steer clear of plastic water bottles…but surprise: there is!
This time the focus is polycarbonate plastic water bottles, which are popular reusable canteens like the one pictured here.
A recent Harvard School of Public Health Study shows that drinking from polycarbonate plastic water bottles will quickly and dramatically increase a person’s bisphenol A (BPA) levels.
So now you can add ‘fast-acting’ to BPA’s resume. As if being a contributor to health problems ranging from diabetes and obesity to infertility and heart disease wasn’t enough!
The study showed that tested students who drank from stainless steel bottles for a week, and then switched to polycarbonate plastic bottles, found that the amount of BPA in their urine shot up 69% in just a couple of days!
Encouraging Red Tape
While the FDA continues to claim BPA is safe, the new administration may take a new stance. In an email sent to the Boston Globe recently, Michael L. Herndon, an FDA spokesman said that newly appointed chief scientist Jesse Goodman will “provide new leadership and take a fresh look at this important issue from a scientific and policy position, incorporating emerging science and appropriate input from both inside and outside the agency.”
Could adding the Harvard study to the mounting evidence of BPA health risks finally get the FDA to outlaw it? Let’s hope so. But until then, I’m holding tight to my stainless steel bottle and not letting go…and I encourage you to do the same!
Via: www.saferstates.com
Posted in Green Living, Health, Organic Living | 2 Comments »
December 2nd, 2008 - Leslie Billera
flicker.com
According to a recent study from the Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinal, so-called ‘microwave-safe’ plastic actually leaches toxic Bisphenol-A (BPA).
So if you’re a plastic-by-the-numbers person, the recommendation is to throw it all out the window and forget about plastics altogether when it comes to microwaving: the study showed that BPA was found to leach from containers with recycling #s 1, 2 and 5, the plastics numbers we’ve been told are safe bets for avoiding BPA.
So when it’s time to ‘zap,’ opt for an old-fashioned dinner plate!
Via: Plenty
Tags: BPA, microwave, plastic
Posted in Green Living, Health | No Comments »
September 23rd, 2008 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Bisphenol A, otherwise known as BPA, has a sinister reputation. Typically used in the production of hard plastics, BPA has been associated with A LOT of health problems, most recently heart disease, diabetes and liver problems; from The Chicago Tribune.
Oddly, the FDA has been quick to defend the safety of BPA, but they SHOULD be hard-pressed to do it again after new research shows BPA interferes with brain cells, causing depression and memory impairments.
So, it’d be a keen idea to LIMIT your exposure to Bisphenol A. The Knoxville News Sentinel offers up some tips, like buying cardboard cartons instead of plastic and not heating food up in plastic wraps.
Also, Julie’s Health Club shares some uncommonly known sources of BPA. Believe it or not, BPA lurks in things like recycled paper, soda cans and even pizza boxes! So be wary.
Heck! Even the Republicans, not usually known for their environmentalism, distributed BPA-free water bottles at this year’s Republican National Convention—via GreenDaily.
Posted in Health, Organic, The Environment | No Comments »
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