What is BPA?
BPA is derived from petroleum. Basically they take benzene (which is a building block that corporations produce) and sell it to chemical companies.
The chemical companies run benzene through a man made chemical reaction which turns it into a chemical called bisphenol A. BPA is a building block for polycarbonate plastic. Its a clear plastic which is used for water bottles, line aluminum soda cans and steel cans that contain food.
BPA was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use as food contact material in 1963. But the scary fact is that its been used in other products since 1910.
Why is BPA so toxic?
Research has been done on BPA since the late 1990's. They believe BPA contributes to cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and immune dysfunctions including some asthma and allergies. It also causes early puberty and damage to every part of the reproductive system including uterine fibroids and ovarian and breast cancer. They also say in male animals, BPA causes low sperm counts, prostate cancer and abnormalities of the urethra as they age. BPA also memics estradiol. It damages the programming of how your body's going to function for the rest of your life. The really scary fact is that babies have 12.5 times more exposure to BPA than adults do.
January 2010
Food and Drug Administration reversed its position that BPA is safe. The FDA said that because BPA is a grandfather chemical, they don't have the authority to ban or regulate it. They don't even have the authority to ask "What products contain BPA?".
How can I avoid BPA?
Avoid canned food at all cost. You can find food in bulk sections and cook them yourself.
You can buy fresh food with no packaging. Better yet buy organic.
Try to buy products in glass which is the safest option. There is no BPA in glass so there is no scare of leaching. Now day's you can find glass water bottles, more prepackaged foods in glass and just more glass options period. Keep an eye out for them!
Avoid plastic when ever possible unless its labeled BPA free. They say that cloudy plastic is fine but avoid it to be on the safe side.
Some metal water bottles have a clear plastic lining containing BPA. So buy water bottles with no liner and 100% steel.
Even paper receipts contain BPA so avoid touching any receipt by letting the cashiers put the receipt in your bag then remove it later with gloves or something metal. I can see this as a hassle for you but it is a important step.
Avoid canned drinks at all cost because the metal cans are lined with BPA plastic. This will be a hard one to do for many people. But worth it! Start trying new soda's in glass and you won't miss the metal cans one bit.
Avoid food in the freezer section. Most of those packaged foods are lined with BPA laced plastic.
In fact avoid any prepackaged foods what so ever if you can. There is no guarantee that the plastic packaging is BPA free. In fact most packages do not mention BPA one bit. If it doesn't say BPA free then assume its filled with it.
Never fully trust any product. Do your research!
Last but not least for those coffee drinkers, stop using coffee makers with any plastic on their coffee makers. A french press and percolators are best. Some you heat on a stove and some need to be plugged in. Make sure there is no plastic parts that come into contact with your hot coffee! Most don't require a paper filter so you save money and trees in the long run.
I recommend watching this 10 minute video. Its packed with information including a time line of how BPA came into concern.
There is hope. You don't have to let BPA leach into your life. You can live a healthy life style and keep on budget all while avoiding BPA. How you ask? Well your reading my blog so that's a great start! I try my best to keep BPA out of my life and share with all of you how I do it. Don't be afraid to ask questions, do your research and join me in the fight against BPA.
To find out more amazing ways to avoid plastic head on over here . Beth Terry is my inspiration when it comes to avoiding plastic. I have learned so much from her.
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