Question by Lindsey Nelson

Polycarbonate plastic, number 7, is a polymer made from a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA). Beverages stored in polycarbonate plastic likely do contain some amount of BPA, especially when they are stored at warm temperatures or for prolonged periods of time. Containers that are older and have become discolored or cracked also are likely to leach more BPA. A better option for storing beverages is to use an unlined stainless steel container or to use another type of plastic container, such as polypropylene, which doesn’t contain BPA. BPA is an endocrine disruptor and in animal studies has been associated with reproductive abnormalities including lower sperm counts, hormonal changes, enlarged prostate glands and pre-cancerous changes in the breast and prostate. We don’t have very much data on whether BPA could be causing the same problem in humans but the weight of scientific evidence should prompt us to avoid BPA exposures where possible. We do know that over 90 percent of the general population carries residues of BPA in their bodies.

In addition to the overuse of plastics in our lives, why not suggest using tap water instead??? In most of the Western world, it is as safe if not safer than 'bottled' water, as it is constantly monitored and since many companies fill their bottles with tap water anyway. It is obscene to know that water bottling companies pay l cent per l million litres but we pay substantially more for the same household water. Why not discourage the unnecessary expenditure?

I recently had severe menstrual bleeding. A uterine fibroid was discovered. Since spring I had been using a #7 water bottle [to reuse for the environment]. The bottle did not say how to wash it or provide any warnings regarding BPA. I washed it in the top shelf of the dishwasher and the bleeding /fatigue increased all during the month of January. When I stopped using the water bottle, my bleeding stopped. I\'ve always been highly sensitive to chemicals - I\'m like a canary in a coal mine. What more can be done to 1) study the effects of BPA? 2) Get the word out to people re: effects of BPA? 3) Avoid harmful chemicals (self) and get warnings on the products? I could still buy the same products from a store today and there is no warning regarding leeching of chemicals into our body. Obviously, I am just one person (which is not a conclusive scientific study) and this is a hypothesis re: the leeching causing my health problems. But, I\'m feeling better and prepared to do whatever I can to protect lives, the environment, my own health and the world\'s health. I had to dig in order to discover that my problem could be linked to these water bottles that I re-used (hundreds of times).

I bought a plastic blower,when came it has a tag on it which says in the state of californa chemicals in it could cause cancer from leeching,is there something i can do to stop the possible leeching of the new blower

I'm not sure which product you're concerned about but the plastic insulation on most power cords contains lead. There are major efforts underway to get the lead out of these products. The lead is mostly a problem if a child were to put the cord in her mouth.

In interested in joining an Alkaline water business and was told to use # 7 gallons jugs to provide to my clients to sample the water. These are already so expensive. Now Im really confused because I cant give away glass or stainless steel. What do you suggest?

Leslie,  
Thank you for writing with your personal story. I often hear from people about health problems that they perceive as linked to an exposure to one of these chemicals. These situations fall into the \"I wonder...\" category. In fact, this website includes an interview with someone who had another \"I wonder...\" story to share. You can watch the video here. Her story of a pesticide exposure was different, but it shares a common theme, which is that there are people out there with health problems that may be linked to hazardous chemicals, but it\'s really hard to say scientifically if there is or isn\'t a link. That\'s why we created the Simple Steps website – to give people information they might need to make safer choices for themselves and their families. Meanwhile NRDC is working really hard to get these hazardous chemicals out of consumer products. Products we use day-to-day should be safer, so we don\'t have to deal with discovering that we were unknowingly exposed to a hazard in our homes. That\'s a future we can really look forward to!

Ruth, 
You might consider a different type of plastic container. Polypropylene is not made of BPA and therefore doesn't leach BPA. Or you might consider charging a deposit on glass jugs to cover the price difference.

Dr. Gina, 
I appreciate your recommendation for Polypropylene plastic as an alternative to PC containing BPA, as Polypropylene (PP, #5 on the bottom of the bottle) is inert and has no BPA. However, I wanted to correct your opening statement: #7 does not indicate Polycarbonate(which contains BPA), but rather indicates "Other". This could be Polycarbonate, but often times is a multilayer structure that may be based on PP or PE but contains a nylon tie layer or EVOH barrier layer that is undesirable in the recycle stream, thus the "Other" designation as #7. Thanks!

I have read all your comments regarding plastics & melamine and found the information very usefull. Are acrylic or lexan drinking glasses safe? I have cleaned my cupboards, thrown out all my plastics (3's and 7's) however none of my acrylic or favorite lexan glasses have anything written on the bottom. My melamine kids dishes don't either, but I'm assuming because they are melamine they are safe.