Bottle Rocket - What’s All the Fuss About BPA?

By Stefani Newman

Better living through science? The debate is raging over a chemical compound with a three-letter nickname - BPA. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a synthetic hormone primarily used to make hard polycarbonate plastic. Companies use BPA both as the durable plastic as well as an epoxy resin, for coating the inside of food and beverage cans. Until 2008 or so, you may not have heard about, or cared about, BPA. Nowadays, it’s one of the most hotly contested by-products on the market.

Studies are showing (done mainly on animals) that exposure to BPA, even in low doses, can be linked to a myriad of health issues. These include thyroid problems, various cancers, obesity, diabetes, and in the case of babies (even in utero), stunted development and disabilities. Unfortunately, there are a lot of “maybes” used in BPA speak. BPA may (or may not) leach within products, which may (or may not) be dangerous to you and your baby in terms of promoting cancer, etc. Tara Parker-Pope has a great BPA-basics article, outlining everything you need to know about BPA in your home.

The most vocal group for change to remove BPA from products has been parents. If you’ve ever picked up a baby bottle, you know that they are made of hard, durable plastic. Baby bottles are virtually indestructible - they’re heated for sterilization, refrigerated, and can be safely dropped over and over again.

The struggle to rid children’s products of BPA goes WAY beyond bottles, however, and this is where it gets scary. Think about all the plastic based products out there, just geared towards children alone - lunch boxes and other lunch containers, sippy cups, pacifiers, toys, you name it. It’s terrifying to think about how vast this chemical compound has invaded our shelves and pantries (it’s also used as a canned food liner), and how difficult it is to tell what effect it may have on our bodies or our children’s bodies.

The children’s product market is taking a stand over BPA. Companies are taking the initiative to remove BPA from their products, and are proudly advertising this fact. Glass bottles are even making a comeback. Websites such as Z Recommends and Environmental Working Group thoroughly test products and rate them based on safety, to help consumers make informed buying decisions.

These efforts are still offering hazy and inconclusive findings as to how effective the removal of BPA really is. In 2009, Canada passed legislation banning all products containing BPA. However, recent studies of baby bottles and other “BPA-free” items still leach small amounts of BPA into and food or other substances when heated. The debate now is whether or not these “trace amounts” are hazardous.

As recently as August, the hugely popular aluminum bottle manufacturer, SIGG, recently admitted that the inside liner within their bottles produced before August of 2008 do, in fact, contain BPA. This was after a SIGG fiercely defended itself that it was BPA-free. The Environmental Working Group, a non-profit watchdog organization that tests everything from sunscreen to lipstick, and baby shampoo to bottles for hazardous chemicals, had tested SIGG bottles and found trace amounts of BPA. Many people have turned to unlined, aluminum containers, but consumer confidence regarding what is truly BPA-free has nosedived. We can only hope that companies continue to have consumers’ safety - and long-term confidence - in mind, to help solve these issues with BPA.

Ban Plastic Bags? The Debate Rages On and On and On…

By Stefani Newman

Plastic bags are often portrayed as the evil stepmother of carryalls. Plastic bags don’t disintegrate naturally, are tough to recycle, and clog landfills. They leach hazardous chemicals into water and the air as they are exposed to the elements. Yet, they still show up everywhere, unconsciously, and often without protest. There have been quiet movements, however, by governments and environmental groups to places taxes or completely ban plastic bags from communities across the country.

Banning plastic bags seems like an insurmountable task. Every conceivable store, whether it be a grocery store, home goods, clothing, pharmacy, etc., ask you to carry your goods out with plastic bags. If you want paper, or have a reusable bag purchased at a nominal cost, you have to specifically ask to use it. Essentially, businesses as well as people are wired for plastic.

In 2007, San Francisco led the plastic bag ban by completely outlawing plastic from all businesses. This made San Francisco the most progressive city regarding plastic bags in the US. Los Angeles is also planning to ban plastic bags in 2010. Whole Foods stopped offering plastic as a carryout option this year, and instead have recycled paper bags or reusable bags for purchase.

There are other movements that have not been so successful. Seattle tried to take a stand against both paper and plastic by attempting to charge 20 cents per bag used. The money raised for this carryout bag tax would be used to help fund environmental efforts around Seattle. After many months of lobbying for this tax, voters turned down the proposal in August, by a 14 percent margin. During this tough economy, coupled with a distrust of where future funds will be utilized, the Seattle tax try caused many other cities to nix their own attempts for a vote at a bag tax.

Plastic bags have advocates, however. A group called Save the Plastic Bag, run by San Francisco attorney Stephen L. Joseph, compares the impact on using plastic with paper, and questions how beneficial the impact from these major efforts. Arguments present information that discredit claims made about plastic bags over the years.

Treehugger has a readable, comprehensive guide to the paper vs. plastic debate. It breaks down the process of creating each product; bag recycling, or what else may happen at the end of its lifecycle; and bag alternatives. For example, in order to make paper bags, trees have to be cut down and a tremendous amount of water has to be used. The amount of greenhouse gases released into the environment to produce paper bags is actually greater than plastic. In addition, paper bags may hold more stuff, but plastic bags use less energy during production and recycling.

The bottom line is, in the great battle versus paper and plastic, there is no winner. Using and reusing both paper and plastic bags will essentially still send them to landfills. Reusable bags are a big help, and are generally recommended by green experts as an economical as well as environmental alternative. Teaching people to remember to bring them into the store is another story, however. And, it may be fashionable to carry around the latest eco-tote from the hottest green designer out there - but who can afford it?