In previous articles here, here and here, I wrote about the dangers of an environmental toxin called bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is a chemical that is found in several plastics and plastic additives. It’s in the water bottles some folks carry to gyms, the canned tomatoes and coconut milk they cook with, and in the baby bottles moms use to feed their infants.
We’ve known for decades that BPA has estrogenic activity. In vivo animal studies and in vitro cell-culture research has linked low-level estrogenic activity associated with BPA exposure to all kinds of fun stuff, like diabetes, ADHD, heart disease, infertility and cancer.
There is now significant evidence suggesting that even low levels of BPA-exposure can cause harm, and this is particularly true in vulnerable populations like pregnant women, infants and the chronically ill. (1)
Because of this research, and the growing public awareness that BPA should be avoided, a new crop of “BPA-free” plastic food containers and baby bottles has been introduced. However, a recent study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives in July has shown that even BPA-free plastics have chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA), and can cause serious health problems as a result. (2)
What is “estrogenic activity” (EA)?
Chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA) are those that mimic or antagonize the actions of naturally occurring estrogens. These chemicals are capable of binding with one or more of the nuclear estrogen receptors in the body.
The best way to think of chemicals with EA is as a counterfeit key fitting into a loose lock.
As I mentioned above, vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, developing fetuses, infants and children are especially sensitive to even very low doses of chemicals with EA. (4)
BPA-free is not EA-free
In the Environmental Health Perspectives study, Yaniger et al. set out to determine the estrogenic activity of commonly used plastic consumer products.
They bought more than 500 plastic products at places like Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, and other major retailers. They selected from all categories of plastic, including tupperware containers, bags and wraps.
Then they cut the containers into pieces, put them into liquids that contain similar chemicals found in food and drinks, and subjected them to stresses that mimic normal use, like UV light (sunlight), microwaving, or moist heat (like boiling or dishwashing).
Their results showed that over 90 percent of the products leached estrogenic chemicals before they were even stressed, and after being stressed essentially all of the products showed estrogenic activity.
According to Stuart Yaniger, one of the lead authors of the study:
Baby bottles, plastic bags, plastic wrap, clamshell food containers, stand-up pouches: Just about anything you can think of that’s made of plastic that food or beverages are wrapped up in, we found this activity. It was shocking to us.
What plastics do and don’t have EA? It’s impossible to tell.
The exact chemical composition of most plastic products is proprietary and thus not known, and a single plastic item containing many parts (e.g. a baby bottle) may consist of >100 chemicals, all of which can leach from the product.
In light of the researchers’ finding that nearly all of the 500 plastic products they tested leached when stressed, and 90 percent of them leached even without stress, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that most plastic products you can buy in the store have chemicals with EA.
It’s important to reiterate that this is true even with BPA-free plastics. In fact, the Environmental Health Perspectives study found that some BPA-free products had even more EA than BPA-containing products!
Should you be concerned about chemicals with EA?
There are still a lot of unknowns in the discussion of the EA of various chemicals in plastic products, such as the number of chemicals having EA, their relative EA, their release rate under different conditions, and their half-lives in human beings of different ages.
However, there are 3 strong arguments for being “better safe than sorry” when it comes to plastics and EA (5):
- in vitro data overwhelmingly show that exposures to chemicals with EA (even in very low doses) change the structure and function of human cell types;
- many studies present clear cellular, molecular and systemic mechanisms by which chemicals having EA produce changes in cells, organs and behaviors; and,
- recent epidemiological studies strongly suggest that chemicals with EA produce measurable changes in the health of various human populations.
Perhaps the study authors summed it up best in their conclusion:
Many scientists believe that it is not appropriate to bet our health and that of future generations on an assumption that known cellular effects of chemicals having EA released from most plastics will have no severe adverse health effects.
I couldn’t agree more.
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What you can do to reduce your exposure to chemicals with EA
Here’s a list of things you can do to reduce your exposure – and especially your baby’s and children’s exposure – to chemicals with EA.
- Use glass containers and canning jars at home for food storage. Be aware that the lids of Mason and Kerr brand canning jars contain BPA and chemicals with EA. There are BPA-free lids, but they still may contain chemicals with EA, and I’ve been told they’re made with formaldehyde. Weck makes 100% glass jars that are a good alternative. Crate and Barrel sells them here.
- Use stainless steel containers in the freezer instead of freezer bags.
- Use a stainless steel water bottle (like the Klean Kanteen) instead of plastic bottles.
- Don’t drink bottled water from plastic bottles, especially when they’ve been exposed to sunlight.
- Parents: use glass baby bottles instead of plastic. Evenflo is a commonly available brand you can buy at Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, etc. and online at Amazon and other retailers.
Special note for Sous Vide users: After reading this study, I’m feeling very uncomfortable about the idea of eating anything that comes out of a plastic bag that has been sitting in a hot water bath for several hours. This is a crushing blow, as I love cooking with the Sous Vide. But in light of the evidence that even BPA-free plastics bags leach chemicals with EA even without added stress like a hot water bath, I think erring on the side of caution is probably wise.
UPDATE 10-28-11: make sure to read the comments section for some good recommendations.
UPDATE 11-7-11: check out this article on Nom Nom Paleo, one of my favorite Paleo food blogs. She did some homework and found some information claiming that re-usable silicon bags don’t have EA chemicals. However, Stuart Yaniger, one of the authors of the paper I referenced in this article, commented on her post (and below) that most silicon products do, in fact, leach EA chemicals. I’m also wary of the claim that FoodSaver bags don’t have any EA without 3rd party, independent testing. As Yaniger’s article demonstrated, we should assume all plastics have EA until proven otherwise.
Resources for those who want to avoid plastic entirely
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I did give up (a while back) reusing water PET bottles in favor of a stainless steel thermo-like container. It’s handy if a bit awkward and it is easy to wash.
Still, I know this is not fixing anything if there is a true, real, significant danger inherent to using plastic. We need to remain calm. Plastic containers are everywhere. Plastic is everywhere. If we are going to damn the material, we need more information than “just stay away”.
What about Brita plastic container? are they consider to be safe?
ok, lots of questions… so now im storing my Brie / Camembert inside some big ass glass jars @ glass lids, the temperature is perfect, but thy are def not airtight… so how do i keep my cheeses mold free? im thinking wax paper? or should i just seal the top with some plastic film? Also what about the meat… rib eye steaks? ( Polystyrene tray out) also wax paper? + glass or stainless steel trays? and the milk? i drink milk from plastic bags… glass bottle? this is a pain…
I was looking around my house for glass containers I already have and I found that I have some glass jars with lids that look sort of like stylized apothecary jars with wide openings. They have a glass lid with a seal that fits pretty snugly. I’m not sure of the seal material, but it’s on the outside of the inner portion of lid, so not much (if any) contact with the food inside. They seal pretty tightly.
They were inexpensive, and attractive, and come in a variety of sizes. They would work in the fridge or the pantry, but I’m not so sure about the freezer. I bought them recently at Walmart, so I think I’m going to go back and buy more.
I love glass milk bottles! But they’re expensive. I put my cream in a mason jar–the lid never touches.
I’ve been looking for a good glass pitcher with a sealing lid all summer for ice tea that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. You can really see the plastic deteriorate–probably from the acid in the tea–when you store iced tea in a plastic pitcher. This summer I ended up making ice tea concentrate (cold brewed) and storing it in a glass mason jar, because I couldn’t stand the plastic pitcher.
Well Chris, you’ve opened a real can of worms. I’ve been wondering when this topic would reach the blogs.
The problem is not plastic containers. It is plastics, period. We’ve surrounded ourselves with it. We eat, drink, and breathe it. We absorb it through our skin. Little is known of the consequences of long term exposure to it. It permeates the land, sea, and air.
Where do we go from here? Anybody care to venture a guess? Read all you can about resins and hardeners, polymers and plasticizers. Then think about it.
Have you got any idea what options are best for dental fillings? Amalgam is supposed to be bad, but the composite fillings all contain plastic! I’ve been putting off getting needed fillings because I don’t know what would be best — or least bad.
Maybe porcelain fillings are a good alternative.
Use gold. As far as I know it’s totally inert and nonreactive.
You could work on remineralizing your teeth while you’re waiting … http://www.curetoothdecay.com/.
@Mallory.
I went to Dr. Mercola’s site and was deeply sad reading through comments that so many people were living their totally scared of everything around them. Some of them were talking about depression, crying every day, isolation, social problems. They were scared of electricity, radios, tvs, plastic, paper, food, metals, clothing, water, and have molded their lives around these fears. As long as you are living optimally as possible (not eating 12 twinkies a day, not taking drugs or alcohol, exercising), I think the human body is vary capable of adapting to and handling the chemicals and toxins it is exposed to. You can take measure to lessen exposure to these things but I wouldn’t build my life around and live in fear.
Yes, this cannot be stressed enough, especially in the health conscious community. Remeber that about 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. If you eat a healthy diet, are physically active, get quality sleep, you are already helathier than probably 90% of the population. You will do more harm than good fretting about every little detail.
it seems impossible. to run a typical day…
i wake up and put in my contacts, stored in plastic contact case, and contact cleaner in a plastic bottle
– drink coffee from a plastic coffee maker, brush my teeth with a plastic handle brush and my tooth powder comes out of a plasctic container. i throw my lunch in a plastic container and put on my plastice sunglasses and go to work. all the water i drink during the day comes from plastic bottles as the tap water makes me throw up.i write with plastic pense, my mouse is plastic, my condiments for food are plastic, my salad is in a plastic bag and my meat a plastic container. i shower and my shampoo/conditioner is in a plastic bottle, i eat dinner and quick cook potatoes in plastic wrap in the microwave and top them with sour cream from a plastic container. 99% of my spices are in plastic containers. my silverware is platic as are my serving dishes. some of my jewelry is plastic. hell…tampns are plastic covered!
i feel like i should be dead
LOL, Mallory, that’s one heck of a list!
You can find alternatives, though. I’m mildly allergic to some plastics, and I don’t have most of those items. The only major plastic items I can’t replace are computer pieces and they don’t seem to bother me much. Maybe because they don’t taste that good microwaved. 😉
Half of what you describe are plastics that are not ingested….! I get depressed too, and then I realise that there are many measures we can take to at least get started and reduce our exposure substantially – starting with avoiding the use of plastic in the microwave would be one good start.
Agreed. The plastic wrap in the microwave definitely stood out to me.
Now I am happy that I decided against a Keurig system. Although I have enjoyed using an Aeropress, I will now consider getting a Chemex or Hario.
Ouch, this article rather made me cringe. I already use a stainless steel water bottle. But as far as I know, these always have polypropylene (PP; plastic #5) caps, which I thought was as safe as plastics come. This is probably the only plastic I use that’s ever subjected to heat (hot beverages). Should the new presumption be that that’s unsafe? If so, what’s the alternative? Thanks.
I posted a question, but it’s gone now. So, what about Tupperware?
It’s made from plastic, so we can assume they have chemicals with EA.
Tupperware has been BPA free since March of 2010. I was curious and found it on their website. https://order.tupperware.com/coe/app/tup_widget.show_page?fv_page_code=safety&fv_section_name=help&fv_category_code=search&fv_item_category_code=200500
Chris,
What about polyethylene? It’s a plastic that is used widely across the United States and Europe for hot/cold water supplies for residences. I am not sure what type of water filtration, osmosis?, would remove the EA if it does in fact leach from polyethylene?
What about sliced bread? That is always sold in big plastic bags? What is being done on a grander scale in the country to help EA go the way of BPA? Has Europe curbed EA?
What about plastic bottles of body wash, creme, and cosmetics? Does it get into our beauty products and travel in through the epidermis too??
This information is all well and good, but relative to what?
How many years of life will I lose by using plastic? What’s the percentage increase of my chances of developing cancer? How much plastic storage can I be exposed to before I am affected? Will I be safer if I stop using plastic or stop crossing the street? How is it people live well into their 90’s when all their lives they stored and ate food in plastic?
Just wondering.
I prefer to do what I can to optimize my health and protect my daughter from chemicals that have been shown to increase the risk of premature sexual development, cancer, metabolic syndrome and other conditions. As the authors of the study said, there are still al lot of unknowns, but it’s foolish to bet our health and the health of future generations on the idea that these chemicals are safe. You’re free, of course, to do whatever you want.
This was a thought provoking blog post and I will try to think about ways to minimize my exposure.
But I also agree with the parent poster, there is need for a cost benefit analysis. Plastics are everywhere. What are the worst offenders? And what are the practical solutions that are easiest and cheapest to implement? At this point guess it really difficult to estimate because there seems to be very lite data on contamination from different sources.
I would speculate that temperature, exposure time and surface area are good indicators of contamination. I would also speculate/guess that hard plastics are better than soft.
I will need to do some reading on this. Thanks for the extra resources; they seem to be a good starting point. I would love a follow-up post with the most important and easiest practical steps to minimize exposure.
My first step will be to never put any thing plastic like in the microwave oven, or anything coming out of it 🙂
Thanks for a great blog post
I agree Ole.
One possible reaction is to put everything in stainless steel. But you could be opening yourself up for hemochromatosis as this article illustrates. http://www.irondisorders.org/african-hemochromatosis
EA is real, and the article poses some interesting questions (hypotheses). But this is only answered with experiments relevant to personal use. In my case I prefer not to cut my containers and soak them in ethanol but to put meat & vegetables in them and freeze them.
Never the less it is thought provoking.
I’ve never seen any studies suggesting stainless steel leaches iron. I have seen sporadic reports that some U.S.-made stainless steel products leech nickel.
People who are currently in their 90’s didn’t eat food stored in plastic all their lives. I don’t know when it became more common to use plastic containers but probably not until the 50s or 60s. So it’s the baby boomers who have been exposed all their lives and rates of obesity, infertility, cancer etc. have all risen dramatically over the years since I was born.
The other thing to keep in mind is that no one is really testing the overall exposure we’re getting from ALL sources of plastic we come in contact with throughout our lives. Manufacturers might test a product individually and find that whatever exposure comes from that product is within tolerable levels but we don’t use just one chemical-containing product in a day. It’s not just exposure through food stored in plastic that we need to worry about but also exposure through shampoo containers etc. It would be nice if we could quantify the risk. But given that different people have different sensitivities, I doubt we could ever really get an accurate assessment that’s worth anything.
The problem is that it is very hard to avoid chemicals in our society. It takes a lot of work and a lot of money.
Yes, exactly. In addition, how do we know chemicals with EA aren’t contributing significantly to the increase in morbidity we’ve seen over the past few decades. It’s certainly plausible. Increases in estrogen activity can increase cardiovascular disease risk in men. When a man goes to the doctor and is found to have heart disease, it’s assumed it’s because of his “high cholesterol” or that he’s eating too much saturated fat. But what if it has at least something to do with chemicals and toxins? We’re just not checking for that now, and there’s no easy way to check for it.
The precautionary principle applies here.
My father has a heart flutter and also has far too much estrogen floating around and not nearly enough testosterone. Even the endocrinologist warned us about BPAs (she strongly believes it contributes to the increasing incidence of younger women developing breast cancer). It’s interesting when you hear it from a conventional medical practitioner rather than an “alternative” practitioner.
Perhaps the overuse of plastic is akin to stepping in front of a car – a risk we shouldn’t be taking if we care about our health. You choose not to step in front of a car, why not choose to err on the side of caution in the case of plastics (within reasonable limits of course) ?
How about the containers made of corn?
The Tattler BPA free canning lids are plastic so why are they better than other BPA free plastic that you talked about. Wouldn’t they also contain EA?
You worry about your soaked bag? Don’t forget to cut it up into pieces-since this is how we all use these products, LOL!
Thanks, Chris. Very helpful article.
Would you say that foods sold in plastic bags (e.g. frozen vegetables) or plastic bottles (e.g. some milk and kefir) raise similar concerns about EA?
I had my braces taken off and now my teeth are held together with retainers…similar to Invisalign.
I guess I know the answer about the plastic on my teeth every day but I am so very much hoping that there is minimal leaching…..
I will get an exact composition analysis of the plastic they use.
See this study, “Cytotoxicity and estrogenicity of Invisalign appliances”: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19577155
Awesome, Mason. Thanks for digging that up.
And most dental composites contain BPA too. I should have replaced my ancient filling already, but I can’t decide what to have them replaced by.
As I stated earlier in reply to @Steve, maybe porcelain fillings are a good alternative. You have a kind of ceramic fillings (Cerec), more expensive, but free of BPA.
That’s only half of the truth and blinding the people!
Every single piece of dental ceramic will be “glued” to the tooth by an adhesive system (in most cases this will be “unfilled” composite material). This will be the same like used with composite filling (“bonding agent” e.g. “OptiBond FL”/Kerr etc.). The amount of used composite in ceramics will be smaller than with composite fillings, but for sure there will be a liner of composite between tooth and ceramic and therfore a contact zone to salvia etc.
Best regards
My daughter started puberty at 7 years old. Even though the doctors tell me this is NOT unusual nowadays, it is unusual for our family (most of the females on my side had LATE onset puberty at 14 to 15 years of age). We don’t use a lot of chemicals in our home because of my allergies, so the only thing I can think of is that I bottle fed her (medical issues prevented me from breastfeeding) and used plastic bottles I’m pretty certain contained BPA (Advent brand in the year 2000). If only I had known.
I’m devastated by this and worried about whether she will be predisposed to other sequelae like reproductive cancers because of this exposure. We are phasing out all of the plastic in our kitchen (love canning jars but now will have to find BPA-free lids!) . We avoid most processed and commercially canned food for this reason as well. But, it is sadly too late for my daughter.
It sounds like you’re already doing a lot of the right things now. Just monitor her health and get help if she starts to show signs of hormonal imbalance or other difficulties. Human beings are both fragile and resilient, and given the right conditions (good diet, exercise, etc.), we can repair ourselves pretty well.