Study released on toxic plastic contaminant

Like a good little environmentalist, I can be seen throughout the streets of Raleigh toting my green Nalgene bottle with my "treehugger" sticker. This reusable and washable bottle keeps me from having to buy bottled water while I'm out and about (many say bottled water is a waste of money and is definitely a waste of natural resources in making the plastic and transporting the bottles).

But, like most things in life, there are rarely perfect solutions to large problems. Just last week, the LA Times ran an article regarding Bisphenol A (BPA)--a highly toxic component of specific types of plastic used in baby bottles, water supply pipes, bottle tops, and--you guessed it--Nalgene bottles.  According to Dr. Jennifer Sass, senior scientist in the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) Health and Environment Program,

"Harmful effects in laboratory animals exposed to even the low levels of BPA that are commonly found in the blood and urine of Americans include an increase in prostate and breast cancer, type II diabetes, reproductive abnormalities, reduced semen quality, recurrent miscarriage, obesity, and neurobehavioral problems similar to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder."

The Times article focused on a recent study done by the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (part of the National Institutes of Health) which studied the affects of BPA and concluded that "they had 'some concern' about neurological and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children, but 'minimal' or 'negligible' concern about reproductive effects."

The NRDC, in a press release last week, expressed their own concerns with the Center's conclusions:

In its report, the committee failed to incorporate public comments from scientific experts, disregarded dozens of studies published in highly respected peer-reviewed journals, and relied heavily on flawed data sponsored by the chemical industry. The result is a committee report that fails to warn Americans about the full range of risks associated with this toxic chemical that contaminates our food and water.

If you're interested in reducing your exposure to BPA, take the pledge to, at the very least, keep toxic Bisphenol A out of Nalgene plastics. Visit http://ecopledge.com/detoxnalgene/ to let your voice be heard today!