Plastic BPA drinking glasses for grown ups...

[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.

[OakLeaf]

Polypropylene does seem reasonably safe right now... but it is known to leach some chemicals, and don't forget that polycarbonate was touted as super-safe by the "natural living" crowd until maybe five years ago. I'd stick with glass, stainless steel, or (lead-free, obviously) ceramic.

I just have to throw in the Endocrine Society's position statement on endocrine disruptors, then I'm done.

[Flybye]

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.

Since I threw away all of my old plastic cups before posting this thread, I will have to take a look at Target. We actually have one of those nearby which is pretty amazing for this neck of the woods!
Thx

Thanks too, for all of the insight on this subject. I always go the "better safe than sorry" route.

[bmccasland]

I have a stash of gen-u-wine, caught at Mardi Gras parades, plastic cups, in roughly 16 oz size that I'll happily mail you. If you're not picky that the cups don't match. I even have cups left over from last year. How many would you like????

PM me, I'm not kidding.

Each Krewe (crew), (the club that sponsors a parade, or sub-krewe sometimes that marches within a parade) has cups made every year. And I swear they breed if left unattended.

[arielmoon]

I think something that is often missed is that there may be trace amounts in one item but how many items are we exposed to in any one day?

Take parabens for example. It's in your conditioner, shave cream, hand lotion, body lotion, lip balm, makeup, butt butter, sport cream, antiperspirant (?) etc

By the time you put all that on the largest organ, your skin, do you have more than a trace amount in you body? And if you do it for years upon years is there a build up? I dont think research can tell yet.

[tangentgirl]

As a scientist who works with BPA.... Oh never mind, you don't want to hear the truth. Go ahead, find a cup that doesn't have all the benefits of BPA and is much more expensive, you'll feel better because of media hype BS.

This all sound like a business opportunity to me. That is, if you don't mind making some cash off of people's fears. Hmm.

[MommyBird]

Nothing scientific about this suggestion.

We have polycarbonate glasses from Williams-Sanoma that have been through the dishwasher for at least three years. None have cracked like our previous clear plastic purchases. They are a bit cloudy but not too bad. I do not baby them.
We have Target brand polycarbonate glasses in our RV. They are hand washed, much newer, and used less frequently so they are crystal clear.

The WS glasses were expensive compared to the Target. I can't say if the Target will hold up under the dishwasher like the WS. Anyone out there have Target polycarbonates that have experienced dishwasher abuse?

The cracking in the dishwasher was the major drawback with the non-polycarbonate versions we had previously used.

[MartianDestiny]

Nothing scientific about this suggestion.

We have polycarbonate glasses from Williams-Sanoma that have been through the dishwasher for at least three years. None have cracked like our previous clear plastic purchases. They are a bit cloudy but not too bad. I do not baby them.
We have Target brand polycarbonate glasses in our RV. They are hand washed, much newer, and used less frequently so they are crystal clear.

The WS glasses were expensive compared to the Target. I can't say if the Target will hold up under the dishwasher like the WS. Anyone out there have Target polycarbonates that have experienced dishwasher abuse?

The cracking in the dishwasher was the major drawback with the non-polycarbonate versions we had previously used.

The preservedproducts I mentioned have been through the dishwasher twice with no ill effects, but we simply don't use them that much.

They aren't Target brand. Apparently (after a bit more research) I can get them at Crate and Barrel (clearly not a cheap store) or any of a number of natural foods stores (including Whole Foods and Sprouts).

Not sure how they'd hold up long term, but on the other hand they are cheap and easily recycled, so you could toss them if they started getting icky after a year or so.

[SadieKate]

TsPoet, I would like to know if the various studies were based on stored liquid or liquid that is just temporarily in the container. Obviously a gin & tonic taken out to the bocce ball court isn't going to sit in the glass for long. Similarly, wine doesn't last long in my high lead count crystal wine glasses, but we no longer use our crystal decanters.

The comment about BPA in canned food is significant. Sometimes the 5 second rule is valid.

[maillotpois]

Obviously a gin & tonic taken out to the bocce ball court isn't going to sit in the glass for long.

Not if you are the one making them and I'm the one drinking them.....

[SadieKate]

Let me amendment my statement:

Obviously a gin & tonic taken out to the bocce ball court isn't going to sit in the glass at all if maillotpois is around.

[tulip]

If it concerns you, why not just use glass? Wrapping them in cloth napkins protects them in transit if you are going on a picnic. And if it's for adults, like the original post indicated, there shouldn't be much danger of breaking them. Especially if it's just for at-home patio use, glass is the way to go. Drinks taste better in glass.

I keep a ball jar of water in my car. No plastic taste, reusable, recyclable, the perfect material.

[SadieKate]

Is that "you" referring to me or the OP?

I'm mostly an inquiring-mind-wanting-to-know about the duration of storage in the studies.

[tulip]

Is that "you" referring to me or the OP?

I'm mostly an inquiring-mind-wanting-to-know about the duration of storage in the studies.

I was referring to everyone who has concerns about plastics. The collective "you."

I suppose I could have used "one," but that seems so formal and reminds me too much of my 7th grade English teacher.

[OakLeaf]

The position statement I posted - and the Endocrine Society's statement to the FDA - references numerous smaller studies that do show a correlation with adverse health effects at serum and tissue concentrations commonly found in modern humans. The health effects are of the same type for which causative relationships were found in higher-dose animal studies.

That's why the endocrinologists thought that caution and further study are warranted.

What exactly is wrong with caution, again? This isn't like, say, the hype over vaccines, or even mammograms, where there is a known and clearly defined risk to avoiding them. There is absolutely no downside to choosing materials other than polycarbonate for your food and drink containers.