
Did you know?
To reduce your exposure to plastic compounds, use stainless steel water bottles, and heat your food in hardened glass and ceramic containers.
Take a moment to think about how much exposure your food and drinks get to plastic. There is plastic in food packaging, plastic storage bags and containers, plastic takeaway containers, cling wrap and plastic bottles. While there’s no doubt about the convenience of plastic, debate continues to rage about if and how much plastic compounds leach into the foods and drinks we eat.
Exposure measurements from several countries indicate that humans are routinely exposed to low levels of the plastic compound bisphenol A (BPA). BPA (recycling number “7” on bottles) is in an ingredient in polycarbonate plastic, which is a durable, lightweight and heat-resistant plastic commonly used in plastic water bottles, baby bottles and the inside lining of food and drink containers such as cans.
BPA is considered an endocrine disruptor and may imitate the body's naturally occurring oestrogen, interfering with the body’s natural hormone functioning.
A study reported in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that participants who drank cold drinks for a week from polycarbonate bottles increased their urine concentration of bisphenol A (BPA) by 69 per cent. The researchers noted that it seems drinking containers made with BPA do release the chemical into liquids they touch. They also cited additional research which showed that:
Most of the research detailing the harmful effects of BPA has been conducted on animals, so the jury is still out on how much impact it can have on hormone function in humans. However, research has shown that plastic compounds such as BPA do leach into the drinks they come in touch with. While it would be difficult to avoid all plastic products, you can reduce your exposure by adopting the following strategies:
To reduce your exposure to plastic compounds, use stainless steel water bottles, and heat your food in hardened glass and ceramic containers.
References available on request