Ban BPA

Finally, a U.S. health agency admitted that bisphenol-A (BPA) might cause cancer and other scary health problems like birth defects, fertility problems, and obesity. BPA is a chemical found in common products like most #7 plastics and the lining of most canned foods and baby formula. In other heartening news, Canada plans to ban baby bottles that contain BPA, and water bottle manufacturer Nalgene is starting a new BPA-free line of water bottles.

But until the U.S. and more product manufacturers do what's right and ban BPA, you can take some easy steps to protect yourself and your family. (I compiled this list of tips from several sources, such as CHEC, EWG, and The Green Guide.)

• Avoid type #7 (PC) plastics when buying food and drink containers, toys, and so on. For water bottles, look for metal bottles that are not lined with a plastic coating. Klean Kanteen and SIGG are popular brands. For baby bottles, Born Free and thinkbaby are BPA-free brands.


• Buy fresh or frozen produce instead of canned items. If you must buy canned items, avoid buying acidic foods like tomatoes—acidic foods can cause the BPA in the lining to leach into the food more.


• Children are very susceptible to this chemical, so avoid canned formula. Breastfeed if you can, or look for other non-canned alternatives.


• Don't microwave plastics, wash them in the dishwasher, or place hot food or liquid in them—doing so causes the plastic to degrade and leach chemicals into their contents. (If you use plastic tupperware, consider replacing them with glass storage containers such as Pyrex.)

And here's an easy way to ask baby bottle manufacturers to get rid of BPA.