Plastic BPA drinking glasses for grown ups...

[OakLeaf]

So we have to know definitively that something is harmful before we decide to avoid it? What about Catrin's helmet, that had no visible evidence of damage from her fall? Do you also think it was stupid for me to advise her to get a new one?

None of the studies have examined BPA in combination with any of the other endocrine disruptors that are ubiquitous in our environment. The OP never said that avoiding BPA was the only step she was taking to reduce her risk. If she's like me, she's already reduced or discontinued alcohol consumption, wears nitrile gloves to change her vehicles' oil and lube their chains, doesn't allow the electric company to spray 2,4-D on her property, etc., etc. Nor did she say what her inalterable personal risk factors might be, nor would I expect her to in this forum.

What's so important about polycarbonate tableware and packaging, that you have to sneer at people who want to avoid it?



To the OP... why not stainless steel? Does it have to be plastic?

[Tri Girl]

tsPoet- thank you for your side, and telling what you see on a daily basis. Hearing from both sides is important in order to make a logical conclusion based on what's best for an individual. Thank your for sharing!

I will still decide stay away from PBA, nitrates, parabens, lauryl sulphates, etc.
I think we've become toxic in our society, and I'm trying my best (for me) to eliminate anything unnatural as much as possible (on the outside, or what I put inside me for that matter). I might be a tad off the deep end in some respects, but it's what's best for me.
I know the media gets on it's "kicks" sometimes... for good or bad.

Back to the op- I couldn't find ANYTHING when looking online. Sippy cups galore- but NOTHING more than 10 oz. Wow- you wouldn't think it would be so hard to find that kind of thing for adults.

[channlluv]

So you're saying it's okay if I leave a disposable plastic bottle of water in the car, it gets hot, then cools off again, and I can drink it anyway? Because right now I save those for rinsing our feet after the beach.

And nail polish...that's okay, too? Woohoo! I'm back on for mani-pedis. As soon as I get down to 220, I'm treating myself.

Roxy

[Melalvai]

Our country is "innocent until proven guilty" which works great for the courts but maybe not so appropriate for potentially toxic chemicals and drugs. Industry would have us believe these things are safe because no one has showed that they aren't. Then when you really start to look at it, you realize no one has really tried.

I did my PhD in the lab whose results "can't be repeated" (vom Saal) and--it was the chemical industry "attempting" to replicate the experiment. Their published studies have huge logistical holes. Sure, other independent labs should try to replicate the studies. But try getting funding to do a study that has already been published.

Unfortunately it is very difficult to detect delayed and subtle effects in populations. There is probably a subset of our population that is vulnerable to hormone effects. In a typical study we won't see the effects because we don't have a good way to identify these susceptible individuals.

Do you want to take the chance that BPA is innocent because we haven't proven it guilty yet? Are you confident that you are not in that vulnerable subset of our population?

But the sad fact is that you can't eliminate your (or your baby's) exposure to BPA. Hundreds of tons are released into the environment every year during production. It is in our water and air. Eliminating your polycarbonate bottles & dishes is futile because unless the plastic is old, pitted & cracked, it is not leaching much BPA.

[Melalvai]

So you're saying it's okay if I leave a disposable plastic bottle of water in the car, it gets hot, then cools off again, and I can drink it anyway? Because right now I save those for rinsing our feet after the beach.
Roxy

Those bottles aren't polycarbonate. They are a different kind of plastic that does not contain BPA. Polycarbonate is a translucent, hard, brittle plastic.

You will get more BPA from eating food that comes in metal cans, which are lined with a BPA resin.

[channlluv]

Gotcha.

Okay, so how do we flush these toxins from our bodies?

Roxy -- hormonal problems in the process of being diagnosed, so you've got me wondering here...

[Owlie]

TsPoet can jump in here, because I'm just a biology undergrad, but in general, your liver modifies most of the not-food chemicals we ingest into something less toxic, and it makes its way to the kidneys for excretion.

The fun begins, however, with lipid-soluble things. I'm not sure of the exact mechanism, but I imagine that while some of it gets flushed out, some of it ends up being deposited in adipocytes (fat cells). Most of the time, it's not a big problem. It becomes a problem when you start burning that fat.

Roxy, may I ask why the concern about nail polish?

[MartianDestiny]

BPA issue aside (IE: I'll keep my scientist trap closed) this may just be an issue of waiting a few more weeks until the stores get their spring/summer "picnic and BBQ" gear out in full swing.

Here's some I found:
http://www.preserveproducts.com

BPA free, USA made, 100% recycled, 100% recyclable. I got a few of their bowls to take camping with us. They seem well made and reasonably light. I found them at Target; not sure if their website lists other dealers.

[channlluv]

...while some of it gets flushed out, some of it ends up being deposited in adipocytes (fat cells). Most of the time, it's not a big problem. It becomes a problem when you start burning that fat.

Roxy, may I ask why the concern about nail polish?

Doggone it, the fat-burning is releasing toxins, too? Ai-yay-yay.

Regarding the nail polish, I attended a women's luncheon a couple or three years ago where the speaker had received a research grant from the organization and was there to speak about her study findings. She's the one who warned us off leaving plastic water bottles to get hot in cars, and off nail polish, because of the pthalates (I'm not sure I spelled that correctly) in the polish. Not that I've ever been a regular at the nail salon, but even the twice-a-year visit leaves me wondering about dangerous chemical exposure.

I did turn around and leave a salon back in August because when my daughter and I walked in, the chemicals in the air were so thick it burned our eyes. (From acrylics, I think.)

It's the cumulative exposure that has me worried.

My endocrinologist, after telling me I have a Vitamin D3 insufficiency (not quite as bad as a deficiency), even though I spend about five hours a week out in the afternoon sun with not a whole lot of clothing on, blamed the nationwide problem on the poor nutritional quality of our food. He said our food just isn't as nutritious as it used to be, and even though I eat a mostly organic diet now, it's a lifetime of not-as-smart food choices that have me in this predicament.

Roxy