BPA Away
There is a lot of scary stuff in the news these days about plastic and it’s pretty hard to keep on top of it. We can barely spell bisphenol A or phthalate (and we haven’t used Nalgene since our backpacking days).
But amid all the confusion, here’s a few things we do know:
- Bisphenol A (or BPA) can act like an artificial estrogen. The fears are that it can disrupt hormones, cause earlier onset of puberty, reduce sperm counts and increase the risk of breast and prostrate cancer. Phthalates, used in many personal care products and to make plastics flexible, are now thought to affect reproductive development.
- While there is still some debate about the above, and we don’t have a PhD in plastics engineering (or even chemical), we do have options when it comes to plastics in our kitchen.
- You can check the resin symbols (usually on the bottom of the product or container) and choose plastics #1 PETE, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE and #5 PP and avoid #3 PVC, #6 PS and #7 polycarbonate (that’s where all the BPA tends to be!) to practice safer plastic use.
So if you’re looking for alternatives to remove plastic from your life one small step at a time, there are some pretty savvy new products readily available online:
Tableware
We’re setting a fancier table now (than we did with that old Swedish plastic set) with our new Corelle Livingware break-resistant dishes ($39) in Classic Café pattern. Made from bonded glass (with 3 to 5 year break and chip warrranties), there’s a pattern to match every décor. Available online from Corelle and at major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Home Outfitters and Sears. We’re also less worried about things getting dropped with our new set of eco-friendly bowls from Bambu, made from sustainable, renewable bamboo in fun colours the kids will love ($5.95–14.95). Available from stylekid.ca.
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Tested by Sarah M., Toronto |  |
