Here is more information on eliminating what appears to be the worst plastic in your drawer: BPA or Bisphenol-A.

BPA is a chemical compound used to make polycarbonate plastic. BPA has been linked to cancer, infertility, obesity, and diabetes. In animal studies, BPA has been found to cause the early onset of puberty and stimulate mammary gland development in females (Richter et al., (2007) Reprod. Tox, Vol 24(2) p. 199).

Common items containing BPA are plastic food containers, reusable water bottles, baby bottles, and the linings of canned foods. These are usually marked with plastic number “7″. The “7″ identifies “other” plastics including all BPA-based items.

How can you reduce exposure to BPA without overly inconveniencing your family life?

1) Avoid microwaving plastic containers, which may cause BPA to break down and leach out more.

2) Avoid washing plastic containers in the dishwasher or with harsh detergents, which can also cause BPA to break down and leach out more. Hand wash them instead with a mild detergent.

3) Switch to BPA-free plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, and water bottles. Look for plastics marked “1″ containing Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) which is considered safe.

4) Use wax paper instead of plastic wrap, especially when microwaving. If you must use plastic wrap,look for brands that are BPA-free such as Ziploc, Glad and Saran.

To learn more about BPA and plastics:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/300/11/1353

http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/03/bpa-questions-answered.htm

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/hiddendangers/a/0108_env_chmcls.htm

Thanks to the French American International School in San Francisco for this information and links.

We’ve been working on trying to throw out as much plastic as we can. We just got this set of Pyrex storage bowls - $29.95 at Amazon to replace all those old tupperware style plastic containers since microwaving and heating plastics appears to be the worst thing you can do. We still have not figured out how to send food to school with our four-year-old since glass will break and everything else will likely get lost within a week. Plastic is disposable and low cost, difficult benefits to give up.

(Editor’s note: Here are more arguments in favor of cloth diapers. Everyone needs to make the best informed choice on this “paper versus plastic-type” debate, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to know the facts.)

Cloth diapering your young one’s bum is not only eco-friendly; it offers a solution to the highly absorbent chemicals found in disposable diapers. Consider the following.

*Babies in cloth diapers have fewer diaper rashes.1

*Cloth diapers are soft on baby’s delicate skin.1

*Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. SAP has killed children after ingesting as little as five grams.2

*Scrotal temperature increases in boys wearing disposable diapers affecting spermatogenesis which can lead to infertility. 2

*Disposable Diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) — a toxic pollutant pollutant, which has a hormone-like effect. The smallest concentrations of TBT can harm people’s immune systems and impair their hormonal system. 3

Sources:

1 http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu

2 Whitewash: Exposing Health and Environmental Dangers of Women’s Sanitary

Products and Disposable Diapers, what you can do about it. Armstrong, Liz and

Adrienne Scott. 1993. HarperCollins.

3 New tests Confirm TBT Poison in Procter & Gamble’s Pampers: Greenpeace demands world-wide ban of organotins in all products. May 15, 2000.

Alison Manes is the mother of six, and the co-founder of Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC. Alison won Tucson’s Business Woman of the Year award from the American Business Women’s Association in 2003 for her marketing work. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, manufacturers a remarkable new sustainable diapering system using organic and recycled fabrics. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, is committed to manufacturing sustainable products made in the USA. You can view LolliDoo® Diapers at www.lollidoo.com. You can also view Alison’s blog at http://earthymommaodyssey.blogspot.com/.

Wow. WOW! In case there wasn’t already enough data on BPA and phthalates, this article really freaked me out and you’ll soon read why. This birth defect, proven to be caused in rats by plastics, may be isn’t talked about much, but seems very common.

We are in the process of eliminating all plastics in the house, little by little. We started with #7 bottles, moving toward eliminating plastic bags and wraps, all plastic dishes, and soon plastic bottles entirely.

More Problems With Plastics
Like BPA, chemicals called phthalates raise some concerns

By Adam Voiland
Posted May 7, 2008
The urethra is supposed to emerge at the tip of the penis, but in 1 out of every 300 baby boys, its opening is elsewhere—sometimes just underneath the head, or midway down the shaft, or even at the base of the scrotum. No one knows what causes the defect, called hypospadias, but studies have shown that widespread chemicals called phthalates can reproduce it in rodents

[From More Problems With Plastics - US News and World Report]