-Tiffany Carboni

While plastic sippy cups, reusable sports bottles, baby bottles, and spring water bottles make on-the-go life more convenient they are also posing a serious threat to our environment as well as our bodies.

The evidence is clear that when not properly recycled these pesky plastics become a landfill nightmare and litter our waterways and landscapes. Equally disturbing is the unseen effects of the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), which is used in the synthesis of many plastics. BPA mimics estrogen when introduced to the body and is believed to have toxic effects with long-term use. When plastics are washed in harsh detergents and hot water—as in the dishwasher—BPA can leach directly into the body as well as our water supply. Those at most risk are people with developing endocrine systems—like pregnant women, newborns, young children, and women who might get pregnant.

The results started surfacing in 1998 when a geneticist accidentally stumbled upon this revelation during an animal study investigating causes of miscarriages and birth defects. A lab worker mistakenly washed the team’s mouse cages in a harsh detergent not ordinarily used for that purpose. Suddenly the number of chromosomal abnormalities, which had earlier been found in only 1 to 2 percent of the mouse eggs, spiked to 40 percent.

Plastics to avoid are:

• #3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), which commonly contains di-2-ehtylhexyl phthalate (DEHP)—an endocrine disruptor and probable human carcinogen.
• #6 Polystyrene (PS), which may leach styrene—a possible endocrine disruptor and human carcinogen—into water and food.
• #7 Polycarbonate, which contains the hormone disruptor bisphenol-A (BPA) and can leach out as bottles age, are heated or exposed to acidic solutions.

NOTE: #7 is used in most baby bottles and five-gallon water jugs and in many reusable sports bottles.

The plastics that are considered safer are:

• #1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) is the most common and easily recycled plastic for bottled water and soft drinks, and in general is considered safe to the body. However, a 2003 Italian study found that the amount of DEHP in bottled spring water increased after 9 months of storage in a PET bottle.
• #2 High Density Polyethylene
• #4 Low Density Polyethylene
• #5 Polypropylene

Though it’s not always easy (often downright impossible) to determine which kind of plastic a bottle is made from, do the sniff-and-taste test. If there’s a hint of plastic—don’t use it. If you have no choice, use bottled water quickly and keep it away from heat. Do not reuse single-use bottles because they are breeding grounds for bacteria. Instead, choose rigid, reusable containers or thermoses with stainless steel or ceramic interiors.

Good BPA-free bottle alternatives for the whole family:

• Klean Kanteen (features sippy cup tops)
• Born Free (features a line of baby bottles and sippy cups)
• Betras USA Sports Bottles
• Nalgene bottles
• Arrow Canteen
• Brita Fill & Go Water Filtration Bottle