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{ Saturday, March 17, 2007 }

9:56 AM | link

If you eat canned foods or use type #7 plastics, you are exposing yourself to Bisphenol A. What is that, you ask? It's a plastic and resin ingredient used to line metal food and drink cans, and it's a main building block for polycarbonate (PC) plastics. But here's the kicker: Even at low doses, Bisphenol A has been linked to cancer, birth defects, miscarriages, obesity, and insulin resistance, which can lead to Type II diabetes.

If you'd like to rid your life of this chemical, here are some things you can do, some of which are recommendations from Environmental Working Group:

Avoid all type #7 (PC) plastics. The most common plastic item of this type is one of those hard water bottles. As an alternative, look for stainless steel bottles that are not lined with a plastic coating. Klean Kanteen is a popular brand, but my local Whole Foods carried another brand that I bought.
If you can buy fresh produce instead of canned items, do.
Children are very susceptible to this chemical, so avoid canned formula. Breastfeed if you can, or look for other non-canned alternatives.
Never microwave plastics. If you use plastic tupperware, consider replacing them with glass storage containers such as Pyrex.
The Green Mommy has even more tips on avoiding Bisphenol A.

We buy certain canned items every week for convenience (such as beans), so I'm going to contact all the brands we usually buy and get confirmation about whether they use Bisphenol A in their cans. Here are the brands we use:

Westbrae Natural—Their FAQ says the coating in their cans is "a type of food grade epoxy -- it's the simplest earth friendly coating available."
Eden—I couldn't find anything on their web site.
Amy's—I couldn't find anything on their web site.
Muir Glen—I couldn't find anything on their web site, but the can says it's lead-free with a white enamel lining.
365 (Whole Foods)—They have a fact sheet on Bisphenol A, but it doesn't say anything about can linings.

Labels: Green Living

2 comments

I had heard about that. Thanks for the post!

by MyUtopia at March 27, 2007 12:37 PM

Wow, what a great site! Thanks for stopping by. The Blessed Nest Organic Nursing pillow is wondeful. Best wishes on pregnancy and birth!

by Nesting Momma at November 29, 2007 9:28 AM

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