Toxic Chemical BPA Leaching into Canned Foods and Food in #7 Plastics - Page 6

[Ninja_Dad]

Originally Posted by counterGOPI

i got mine through co-ops and on e-bay.

Awesome! How do I find a Sigg or KK co-op?

[anthasam]

Originally Posted by Ninja_Dad

Did you find a good deal someplace? Replacing all our sippies and baby bottles would involve a small fortune at regular retail prices -- say at mysigg.com. Reusablebags.com might offer a buck off for multiples, but that still adds up super fast.

Check your local health food store too. We picked up 2 large (18 oz?) Klean Kanteen knock-offs for DH and I for about $11 each. They are just plain stainless steel bottles with sport caps. I believe the Klean Kanteen brand is around $16 for something similar.

For DD (2 y.o.), we bought the Sigg bottle because it was smaller, had handles and was easier for her to hold. We bought one from reusablebags.com; then "suggested" to Grandma and Grandpa that DD would love a few more for her birthday

We also tend to only drink water out of them, so they only get washed once a day, then refilled with water again...

[artemis33]

Just wanted to add that I was opening some canned organic red beans from TJ's last night and noticed that it was stamped "Product of CHINA" : I realize this is somewhat of a seperate issue, but I imagine many followers of the BPA issue would also be bothered by this. I checked my tomato products and they do not say that. Just something else to look out for!!! :

[Synchro246]

Originally Posted by Ninja_Dad

I emailed Gerber a couple of days ago because my kids love the Gerber Graduate Color Changing sippy cups, which are plastic but do not have a recyclable number or symbol on them. : Here is their reply:

"Thank you for contacting Gerber Parents Resource Center.

The Gerber Fun Grips Color Change Spill-proof Cup is made of polypropylene. The lid is made of polyethylene. Valve is made of polypropylene w/silicone membrane."

Okay, so the body of the cup and the valve are #5, which makes me feel a little better. But the lid could be #1, #2, or #4. I'll reserve judgement on that one until I get more info.

Also, where do you get your "safer" baby bottles? I've scoured Wal-Mart, Target, and Babies R Us, and they either carry Avent, or else bottles that are labeled #7, or else they're not labeled at all -- actually most of them aren't labeled at all. I thought plastics had to have a recyclable number on them, but apparently the FDA has decided that too much information would be onerous on big business and too dangerous for us dumb masses. Do you get them on-line? Or am I missing a completely obvious source?

Originally Posted by Ninja_Dad

Someone in a PP noted that some Gerber baby bottles are recyclable plastic #5 -- well, the key word is "some", because I just checked out the Gerber bottles being sold at the local Wal-Mart : and their Gerbers are #7. I plan on checking Babies R Us very soon to see what they offer, but it sounds right now like MAM/Sassy, Gerber #5, and Evenflo glass are the best options available. Did I miss any?

I just read in a magazine today (Fit Pregnancy, I think) that the Gerber bottles called "Fashion tints" are #5.
Adiri breast bottles are also "OK"

[bobbirs]

BPA plastics, fear and China

DH here posting under my wife's account. I'm an engineer and a skeptic, however the recent confirmation of the hazards of BPA are throwing us for a loop. I feel that I should share some of my understanding.

Recycling numbers are sort of a loose classification of the different types of plastics. #7 is a catch-all that includes polycarbonates (sometimes marked PC under the #). Camelback has re-engineered their line of bottles, coming soon, to not be made with BPA, however it's still a #7 plastic. Traditional polycarbonates are the main offender here, being made of BPA. #7 is often considered not recyclable and is often not marked, as is the case with our Gerber sippy cups. PC is hard and clear (maybe colored, generally not milky though). BPA may also be used in other plastics that, by major composition are not #7. Also BPA is used extensively as a coating in canned food. I think the government is going to have to take action on this one.

Also, and this drive me nuts, is that so much of our cheap consumer junk come from China. No offense to the people of China, but there seems to be little integrity regarding the quality of goods used in production over there. I point to, off the top of my head:
lead paint in toys
melamine added to sub-human grade grains to boost protein content tests and enhance value -- killing pets
contaminated heparin, manufactured for Baxter, killing some folks recently

A certificate of conformance is worthless if you are a liar.

I suspect that many products will be labeled as BPA free, and will continue to be made from BPA by liar-subcontractors. We really need to hold China accountable. If they cannot adhere to product safety standards then they have no business selling goods in our country. As of right now, I trust noting that comes from that country. (Hate to sound harsh.)

[mgilleran@earth-co]

What number would cross-linked polyethylene be?

[talia rose]

on the good news front, canada just announced it is outlawing plastic baby bottles. it is the first country to officially declare bpa a toxic chemical.

personally i think the debate as to which plastic is safe or what bpa free plastics are out there is a waste of time. what did they replace the bpa with? some equally as toxic completely untested on humans, petroleum based chemical. we just should not be eating and drinking and feeding our precious babies out of plastic. a few years ago they told us #7 was non leaching so we all ran out and bought #7. now we find out we may get breast cancer, our children have been exposed to hormone disruptors whose long term effects are yet to be seen. petroleum based plastics are not sustainable and are not healthy. it may be a process to figure out how to replace them all in our lives but that is what every mom concerned with her families health should be doing.

brainchild magazine is still marketing nalgene water bottles with thier logo on it to those supposed thinking mothers who will increase thier chances of breast cancer and according to one study, thier unborn daughters chances of breast cancer, by using those bottles. my business is suspending our advertising in thier magazine until they stop selling them. it is time for all of us to stand up and demand these companies stop poisoning us and our children.