Musings, tips and hard information on green living
Saturday, February 13, 2010
BPA Linked to Heart Disease, Study Confirms
Heer's another reason to steer clear of food and drink packaging containing BPA -- it's been linked to higher rates of heart disease.
In a sampling of U.S. adults, those with the highest levels of BPA in their urine were almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease than those with the lowest concentrations of BPA.
The original reason to avoid BPA? Hormonal changes in fetuses, babies and children that might affect their brain development and cause reproductive abnormalities.
Air freshener, laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, moisturizer, lip balm -- these and other common household and personal care products are scented with fragrances that can be dangerous to your health. Dozens if not hundreds of synthetic chemicals go into these fragrances, including:
Phthalates -- endocrine disruptors that cause hormonal abnormalities, birth defects and reproductive problems;
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that affect the neurological and respiratory systems and are carcinogenic;
Synthetic musks, which may also be endocrine disruptors and additionally, are persistent chemicals that remain in the environment and are contaminating marine mammals.
If you think bah, that can't be -- surely, some government agency vets the products before allowing the public to be exposed to them -- think again. Advance safety testing is not required before the products go to market.
If you think you can find what chemicals are used in fragrances by checking product labels, rethink again. The composition of fragrances is considered a trade secret and may be kept confidential.
And if you think the word "unscented" on a package means what it says, well, you know what to do. That just means the product doesn't have a smell that seems scented. It could very well contain a "masking" fragrance used to neutralize the natural smell of other ingredients.
Here's how to avoid toxic fragrances:
Avoid air fresheners. Open the windows instead.
Use water, white vinegar and baking soda for routine cleaning jobs. If soap is needed, try castile soap.
Check Skin Deep, the Environmental Working Group's cosmetic safety database, to see if your favorite personal care products are safe and to find safer alternatives.
Make sure the words "fragrance" or "parfum" do not appear in the ingredient list of cosmetics.
Use fewer cosmetics and reduce or eliminate your use of perfume.
My family has used a Brita pitcher for years to filter our water and make it safer to drink and I have always insisted our kids use it, rather than drink directly from the tap. Recently, though, I began to wonder if the pitcher itself might contain a dangerous chemical -- bisphenol A (BPA) -- that could leach into the water.
So, a couple of months ago, I used the contact form on Brita's website to ask. I didn't mention BPA directly. I simply asked what kind of plastic the different pitcher parts were made of.
Since Pur makes a similar pitcher, I decided to submit the same question to them. As Pur claims that its pitcher reduces pharmaceuticals from the water -- which would be wonderful if true -- I also asked what drugs the pitcher filters and how.
Following are the answers I received from each, and below that, an assessment.
Brita's Response
Dear Ms. Eisenberg,
Thank you for contacting us.
The pitcher lids and filter housings are made of Polypropylene plastic. The reservoirs and pitchers are made either from NAS (a Styrene based plastic) or SAN (Styrene Acrylonitrile). The soft-touch handles are made from an elastomer called Santoprene (not to be confused with Latex or Neoprene). Our products do not contain any bisphenol A and are all tested by the NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) for safety and wetted contact. Unfortunately the pitcher materials are not recyclable, and therefore do not have a plastic number. Please contact us at any time if you have additional questions.
There is no BPA present in any PUR pitchers/dispensers or lids. Pur pitcher/dispenser bodies are manufactured from an acrylic-based polymer classified as recycling code #7. Pur pitcher/dispenser lids are manufactured from polystyrene, code #6. Pur pitcher/dispenser filters are made from polypropylene, code #5, and also contain no BPA.
All Pur pitchers/dispensers undergo independent safety testing by NSF International, a not-for-profit certification agency for water treatment and other products. Our products meet all industry standards and specifications for material safety and chemical extraction. I’ll share your comments with the team.
Pur water filtration system is the first leading brand to claim reduction of pharmaceuticals identified in U.S. tap water. The new research shows that Pur Water Filtration Systems remove more than 99 percent of pharmaceutical compounds from America’s tap water using the Pur faucet filters and more than 96 percent with Pur pitchers.
Pur effectively reduces five different categories of medication including:
Hormones: prednisone, prednisolone, progesterone, testosterone and cortisol.
Antibiotics: ciprofloxacin, administered in tablet form to prevent certain infections caused by bacteria,as well as sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, which are administered intravenously to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections including pneumonia, and urinary tract and intestinal infections.
Antidepressants: fluoxetine, prescribed to treat a variety of conditions, including depression and other mental/mood disorders.
Anti-anxiety medication: meprobamate, a treatment used to relieve nervousness or tension that exceeds stress of everyday life.
Painkillers: ibuprofen and naproxen.
Thanks for writing.
Jim Pur Team
My conclusions
Brita: Neither polypropylene nor the styrene compounds used in Brita pitchers contain BPA, so I feel comfortable that the company's BPA-free claim is true. Styrene is a worrisome chemical in its own right, but I feel reassured in this regard by the statement that the pitchers are tested by the NSF for safety and by NRDC's and EWG's comments on the subject. I am continuing to use our Brita pitcher at home.
Pur: As far as I know, acrylic does not contain BPA, so the Pur pitcher would also seem to be BPA-free. That said, I did not find the statement about Pur products meeting "industry standards and specifications for material safety and chemical extraction" at all reassuring. Industry standards are rarely stringent enough. (Sadly, even the standards of the FDA, which continues to allow BPA in food and beverage containers, are not high enough to protect people's health.)
On the question of how Pur's pitcher reduce pharmaceuticals -- there was no answer at all, only a vague assertion that "the new research shows" pharmaceuticals are reduced. My feeling is that Pur would have been more specific if it had convincing, independent research to back up its claim. I would therefore not put any stock in it.
Recently, I've had experience in my home with low-VOC paint as well as conventional paint. The first left the place virtually odor-free; the second filled it with noxious fumes from volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Possible health effects from VOC exposure include headache, dizziness and respiratory problems in the short-run -- and liver, kidney and neurological damage long-term.
If you are embarking on a paint job, consider low- or no-VOC paint to reduce exposure. It's widely available nowadays from major manufacturers, and at big home improvement chains, such as Home Depot and Lowes.
The safest low-VOC paints comply with Green Seal's GS11 environmental standard:
If you are the one doing the painting, wear a proper mask for respiratory protection and take frequent breaks in the fresh air while painting.
If a paint job has recently been completed in your home, air the room out for at least 48 to 72 hours. Open the windows wide and, if possible, use a box fan in a window that is set to blow out -- or make sure you have cross-ventilation. (Always secure box fans carefully in the window to avoid an accident.)
If there's a baby on the way in the family and the nursery is being painted, do make sure to air out the room well in advance. Off-gassing (the release of VOCs even from dried paint) continues for a long while, though at sharply reduced levels.
People with asthma or multiple chemical sensitivity should also take special care to avoid undue exposure.
See my May 2009 This Green Life column on low-VOC paints for more information.
This much is true -- compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) contain mercury and mercury is toxic.
Also true -- the mercury is sealed in, so you won't be exposed unless a bulb breaks AND you don't follow a few simple clean-up steps (below).
This, too, is true -- many of America's favorite food fish are contaminated with mercury from coal-fired power plants. Use less mercury by using energy-efficient CFLs and you will reduce the mercury in our food supply. Meanwhile, use this guide to steer clear of the most contaminated fish.
Finally -- watch out for processed foods made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), including many yogurts, dressings, condiments and cereals. A recent study found mercury in nearly a third of the products tested, including foods and beverages by Quaker, Hershey's, Kraft and Smucker's. You can't tell from the label which do or do not contain the kind of HFCS made with mercury, so it's safest to avoid foods made with HFCS altogether. Probably healthier for you anyway.
If you can't afford to get all your food organic (how many people can?), you will be interested in the latest edition of the "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides" from the Environmental Working Group, which lists the fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest pesticide loads. EWG says its research shows that "people who eat the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables consume an average of 10 pesticides a day." So these are the ones to spend the extra dollar on to buy organic.
Most important foods to buy organic
Peaches Apples Bell Peppers Celery Nectarines Strawberries Cherries Kale Lettuce Grapes (imported) Carrots Pears
The 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables, according to EWG, include broccoli, tomatoes, cabbage, watermelon and mango.
Are the new breed of clear, hard "BPA-free" water bottles made with Tritan -- from Nalgene, Kor, Camelbak, Thermos and others -- safer than the polycarbonate bottles they replaced?
Not necessarily.
To assess their safety, we would need to know what chemicals are in the bottles, not just that BPA is not. After all, other toxins are used to make plastic, including, sadly, FDA approved ones.
In the case of Tritan, the chemical ingredients are unknown. Neither the bottle-makers nor the Eastman Company, which manufactures Tritan, will disclose them.
The same is true of Sigg's aluminum bottles. They are lined with a mystery material whose ingredients Sigg will not reveal.
In the absence of information, a reusable plastic water bottle made with HDPE, LDPE or PET would be a safer choice. (Nalgene actually offers bottles made with these materials, too, as do many other companies.)
Or, if you're worried that plastics, in general, have not been adequately tested, use a stainless steel bottle. Both Klean Kanteen and New Wave Enviro offer stainless bottles with a choice of plastic or stainless tops.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has been investigating chemicals in consumer products in an award-winning series called "Chemical Fallout," tested 10 food containers that are labeled "microwave safe" or are marketed for infants. All 10 products leached BPA after normal heating in the microwave or oven.
What I found especially interesting in these results is that some of the products were plastic containers with the plastic identification numbers 1, 2 and 5. Anyone who's been following the news this past year knows that plastics with these numbers are supposed to be BPA-free. (Only #7 is said to contain BPA.)
So, how can that be?
The purpose of the plastic identification system is only to facilitate the sorting of discarded containers to aid in recycling should a recycling program be in place.
It is not intended to ensure consumers that a container actually is accepted for recycling -- let alone that it is BPA-free, does not leach chemicals or is in any way safe. Indeed, the usage guidelines from The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), which developed the code in 1988, explicitly states that manufacturers should "[m]ake the code inconspicuous at the point of purchase so it does not influence the consumer's buying decision."
However, health and environmental advocates have seized on the numbers as the only way of advising the public on which plastics to avoid.
If the U.S. had adequate safety standards in place for food packaging -- or even adequate labeling requirements -- this wouldn't be necessary. As it is, you really don't know what's in plastic containers and packages -- or what might migrate from them into the food and beverages you consume.
This is why Frederick vom Saal, the University of Missouri researcher who has been studying BPA for more than a decade and oversaw the tests for the Journal Sentinel, said, "There is no such thing as safe microwaveable plastic."
Similarly, the Environmental Working Group, which focuses on environmental health issues, especially for babies and children who are particularly vulnerable to endocrine disruptors like BPA, recommends that you never microwave plastic.
This Green Blog is written by Sheryl Eisenberg, who also writes This Green Life, a green living column for the Natural Resources Defense Council, and develops websites for environmental groups and others with her firm Mixit Productions.
Air freshener, laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, moisturizer, lip balm -- these and other common household and personal care products are scented with fragrances that can be dangerous to your health. Dozens if not hundreds of synthetic chemicals go into these fragrances, including:
Recently, I've had experience in my home with low-VOC paint as well as conventional paint. The first left the place virtually odor-free; the second filled it with noxious fumes from volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Not necessarily.
This Green Blog is written by Sheryl Eisenberg, who also writes 
