BPA Leaches From Polycarbonate Bottles Into Humans 251
Linus the Turbonerd sends in the bulletin that BPA, a toxic chemical used in the production of polycarbonate, the plastic composing hard, clear water bottles, has been found to leach out of such containers, directly into the water that their users consume. "In addition to polycarbonate bottles, which are refillable and a popular container among students, campers and others and are also used as baby bottles, BPA is also found in dentistry composites and sealants and in the lining of aluminum food and beverage cans. ... 'We found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds. If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher. This would be of concern since infants may be particularly susceptible to BPA's endocrine-disrupting potential,' said Karin B. Michels, associate professor of epidemiology at HSPH and Harvard Medical School and senior author of the study."
Old? (Score:5, Informative)
Isn't this extremely old news? Companies have been making BPA-free plastic bottles now for a long long time, including baby bottles.
Bulletin? Bulletin? (Score:5, Informative)
These bottles were banned two years ago, though not in the USA. This is hardly a bulletin.
old (Score:1, Informative)
really really old. they have been illegal to sell in canada since last year.
Nalgene (Score:5, Informative)
Very old news? (Score:4, Informative)
BPA in plastic bottles was banned in Canada last year.
Re:Very old news? (Score:4, Informative)
I believe it was only banned for use in baby bottles.
This is because babies are probably more susceptible to BPA and because baby bottles are heated, increasing the amount leached.
Re:Combined with Phyto-Estrogens from Soy Formula (Score:1, Informative)
He is referring to the susceptibility that frogs have to their environment combined with the estrogen-like properties of Soy. He didn't mean that frogs could literally grow tits, frogs are not mammals and completely lack the coding for producing milk.
Re:Old? (Score:4, Informative)
It should be noted that the more flexible plastics often used in water bottles, such as HDPE and PET or PETE, do not contain BPA.
Re:Good old glass (Score:3, Informative)
As odd as it may sound, some German beer brands are sold in plastic bottles. They taste like crap, but they do exist.
Re:Old? (Score:3, Informative)
Right, so as long as I avoid code 3 or 7 I won't die. All I have to do is stick to normal soda bottles and I'll live to see the end of time!
Re:Old? (Score:2, Informative)
Hey! I haven't seen an astroturfer here on Slashdot in two whole days! Thanks for keeping the faith!
Re:Bulletin? Bulletin? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Delicious Uranium (Score:5, Informative)
At least RTF summary before you accuse people of mass hysteria. It says that aluminum beverage can liners contain BPA.
Re:Good old glass (Score:3, Informative)
they sell American beer in plastic bottles around the pool in Vegas. neat, really :)
Re:half-life (Score:5, Informative)
The bottle itself is a polymer of Bisphenol-A sub-units. As the bottle itself naturally breaks down from exposure to light, heat, etc. the polymer sub-units are liberated into the free BPA that is a problem. As long as there's a bottle made of polycarbonate, the water stored in it will have BPA.
Re:Old? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Delicious Uranium (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Junk Science (Score:2, Informative)
Hey trollie, we're discussing long-term effects of low-concentration chemicals in common-use products (water, food...) here. It's not propaganda, it's science with all the required "maybe" and "perhaps".