"BPA-Free" Products May be Just as Harmful

Plastic containers have been shown to have destructive effects on the human body. The chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), in particular, has been called out for a host of negative health consequences. In light of that news, companies began advertising "BPA-free" plastics. However, the chemical they often use instead of BPA, a chemical called bisphenol S (BPS), has now been shown to be just as harmful. But no manufacturer is telling you that.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in 2012, banned the sale of baby bottles that contain BPA. This ban was sparked by several studies which discovered that BPA mimics estrogen and could harm brain and reproductive development in fetuses, infants and children.

Since that ban in 2012, BPA-free products for both children and adults have flooded the marketplace. Unfortunately, recent research has shown that BPS may be just as hazardous to your health. BPS was the chosen replacement for BPA because experts thought BPS would be much less likely to leach. However, that is not the case.

More than 80% of Americans have BPS in their urine. Once BPS is in the body it affects cells in the same ways that BPA does. According to a 2013 study, even in concentrations of less than one part per trillion BPS has the potential to lead to cancer, birth defects, asthma, obesity, and diabetes.

So when manufacturers label their products as “BPA-free” they are telling the truth, but they are not telling you that the BPS they use instead of BPA could be just as bad for you.

The solution, of course, is to avoid using plastics at all, but it’s very hard for most people to figure out how to do that, especially in the kitchen. Plastic seems to be impossible to remove from your life. Pantry items come in plastic, milk comes in plastic, and even storage containers are mostly plastic. Here are some ideas that will reduce, or eliminate, the need for plastic in your kitchen.

Non-Plastic Freezing Solutions

Most cooks like to freeze foods for convenience later. Yet, plastic bags are a poor storage choice if you’re trying to avoid plastics. Here are ideas for freezing common items:

• Soups and stews: Pour room temperature homemade soup and stew into sterilized Mason jars. Leave an inch of space at the top to allow for contraction during freezing.
• Berries: Freeze fresh berries on a baking tray until solid. Transfer to a clean cardboard box, such as an empty cardboard milk container.
• Meats: Remove the meat from the Styrofoam tray and plastic wrap. Wrap snugly in freezer paper according to the instructions on the box. Tape shut with masking tape or secure with a rubber band.
• Pesto: Lots of people like to make homemade pesto and freeze it in ice cube trays. Opt for the old-fashioned aluminum trays instead of the newer plastic ice cube trays.

Avoiding Plastic Products at the Store and at Home

Unfortunately, it’s harder to avoid buying products in plastic from the grocery store. Allow conscious buying and brand flexibility to rule your choices.

1. Choose condiments that come in glass jars when possible.
2. Soups can be found in boxes and cans.
3. Milk can be purchased in cartons.
4. If you buy meat at the butcher’s counter, you can avoid the plastic wrap of the pre-packaged meats.
5. Yogurt can be made at home with a very simple yogurt maker that you can buy online.
6. When you buy cheese, purchase from the deli counter and wrap it in reusable cheesecloth.
7. Store fresh vegetables and fruit in washable muslin drawstring bags. You can buy muslin bags online or sew them up yourself.
8. Instead of buying water in plastic bottles or gallon jugs, install a water filter at your kitchen sink. Keep a glass water dispenser on the counter for home use, and reuse glass drink bottles for drinking water on the go. If you’re concerned about the glass breaking, just keep the bottle inside of a neoprene water bottle cover. Metal water bottles and mugs are available, too!
9. Invest in glass storage containers.
10. Buy paper cups to replace plastic cups, especially if you have a small child at home who is still using a Sippy cup. A stainless steel cup with a screw-on lid and a straw works just as well for young children.
11. Switch to stainless steel drinking straws over plastic straws. Keep them clean with pipe cleaners.

Eliminating plastic in your kitchen isn’t effortless. It does take some commitment and creativity, but as you can see, it is possible. To start, take small steps. Begin with one substitution and add more as you grow more comfortable living without plastic in your kitchen. Over time, you’ll wonder why you ever used plastic in the first place.

Source Links:

http://time.com/3742871/bpa-free-health/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-free-plastic-containers-may-be-just-as-hazardous/

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/01/health/bpa-free-alternatives-may-not-be-safe/

http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1408989/

https://www.edf.org/health/three-reasons-bpa-free-wont-protect-you