Six Ways to Reduce Your Family’s Exposure to BPA

BPA is a building block of a lightweight, clear plastic called polycarbonate found in Water bottles, baby bottles, reusable food containers, plastic tableware, infant feeding cups, linings of infant formula cans and other cans, jar lids, CDs, electrical and electronic equipment, dental sealants.  We are exposed to BPA in many ways from all of these items.   One major way BPA gets into our bodies is by eating food or drinking liquids stored in containers containing BPA.  BPA also migrates from dental sealants into patients’ mouths. Fetuses are exposed in the womb by what their mothers consume.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found BPA in the urine of 93 percent of the people it tested. 

Studies have shown possible male sexual disfunction, disruption of endocrin system, and the brain and prostate glands in infants and small children. BPA poses a potential cancer risk and may mimic the female hormone estrogen and disrupt the extremely sensitive chemical signals in the body called the endocrine system. According to the Food and Drug Administration, there are a number of studies that suggest BPA could affect “the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and young children.”

Ways to Reduce your Exposure:

1. Using stainless steel water bottles like Klean Kanteen instead of buying plastic water bottles (added bonus is this save you money too!)

 

2. Use glass food storage containers like the Pyrex Round Glass Storage Bowls.I use these for storage and for reheating food in the oven or the toaster oven.  Heating food in the microwave in plastic containers (or using a microwave at all) is a big no-no.

 

3.  If you buy plastic, check for the recycle number on the bottom. If there is a number 7, assume the container contains BPA unless it explicitly says otherwise.

 

4. Eliminate canned foods from your diet

 

5. Get rid of any plastic containers with BPA especially baby bottles and children’s containers

 

6. Replace your baby’s bottles and sippy cups with glass or stainless steel.  Try the BornFree Glass Bottles or the Safe Sippy which we LOVE.  It’s a stainless steel sippy cup that is dishwasher safe.

Tags: bornfree, BPA, klean kanteen, plastic, safe sippy