Yesterday's USA Today [click header to read the story] ran an article about the risks of plastic water bottles. I posted on this a while back, but there is now better information available.
According to Frederick vom Saal, a developmental biologist at the University of Missouri who reported his findings in Environmental Health Perspectives, published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, there have been 115 studies published looking at the health risks of bisphenol A, which mimics the sex hormone estradiol. Of those studies, 94 reported significant effects in rats and mice, while 21 did not. Eleven of the studies were funded by chemical companies -- none of these studies reported negative effects.
"Bisphenol A mimics the sex hormone estradiol in the body, acting "like birth control pills," says vom Saal. The body is exquisitely sensitive to sex hormones, needing only tiny amounts to trigger major changes. That's why scientists are concerned about the impact of even the extremely low levels of bisphenol A found in people." ... "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is detected in 95% of all people tested."
With all we know about estrogen-induced cancers in both men and women, there is ample reason to avoid using these bottles as much as possible. The industry argues that the bottles are safe, but do we really want to trust people who stand to lose a lot of money if they have to use alternate bottling techniques?
Please read Some Plastic Water Bottles Are Unsafe to review which plastics are safe and which are dangerous.
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