How Can I Avoid BPA?

#EcoAdvice from our expert

Dear Dr. Donley

I really want to avoid BPA because I am worried about the health effects. I’ve stopped drinking bottled water, but is there anything else I should avoid?

Signed,

Beyond Pissed About BPA

Dear Bonafide Plastic Avoider,

Let me start by saying thank you for not drinking bottled water anymore. With a liter of bottled water costing more than a liter of gasoline these days, you’re saving yourself money and reducing plastic waste at the same time. Drinking the water that comes from your tap at home will often give you water that’s just as pure as bottled water, without the risk of those pesky plastic bottles making their way into the bellies of birds and whales.

Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is bad stuff. It’s been known since the 1930s to mimic the hormone estrogen and was originally used as a drug to enhance the growth of cattle and as an estrogen replacement in women. It wasn’t until later that someone had the bright idea of using a biologically active chemical as an additive in plastics. Some plastic bottles can be a major source of BPA, keep an eye out for recycling codes 3 and 7. BPA can also leach into the environment from discarded plastic, potentially hurting fish and other wildlife.

Tin cans are another major source of BPA exposure. Most tin cans are lined with plastic that can contain BPA. During the canning process, the can is exposed to high temperature and pressure, which increases migration of the BPA from the plastic lining into the food. Many common canned foods contain BPA. This is serious enough that the state of California was going to require a label on all cans containing BPA, but the all-powerful grocery industry was successful in preventing the product labeling in exchange for a warning at each cash register. Nothing scares the grocery lobby more than concise, informative product labels.

An often unknown source of BPA is sales receipts. Receipts are made of thermal paper these days, which contains a light powdery coating that changes color when heated. That powder coating contains BPA, and it rubs off faster than you can say “Why the f#*! is there BPA all over this paper?!” In fact, just handling a receipt is enough to raise the BPA levels in your urine. So next time you’re at the store, decline that receipt and talk to a manager about changing their policy to only print a receipt when it’s requested by the customer. The sales clerk will thank you.

But it’s important to remember that plastics that are BPA-free shouldn’t be considered safe either. Typically, the chemicals used to replace BPA are nearly identical and can have the exact same toxicities. The best thing you can do is avoid plastics in general whenever possible.

Stay wild,

Dr. Donley

Dr. Nathan Donley is a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity who answers questions about how environmental toxins affect people, wildlife and the environment. Send him your questions at AskDrDonley@biologicaldiversity.org

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