Choosing your BPA-free bottle: all you need to know
(Credits)
Walk down the water bottle section of any department store and you’ll see shelves and shelves of plastic bottles, all labelled “BPA-free”. What’s the big deal about using a bottle that’s BPA-free, and what do you need to take note of when choosing your BPA-free bottle? In this article, we cover all that, and more!
What’s the issue with BPA?
BPA, or bisphenol A, is a chemical that’s often found in disposable water bottles. This chemical mimics estrogen, and can potentially harm the brain and reproductive development in fetuses, infants and children.
How does BPA impact pregnant women?
Whilst the general public (regardless of whether you’re male or female, and pregnant or not!) is advised to go BPA-free, this is exceptionally important for pregnant women.
(Credits)
Firstly, research from Japan found that women with recurrent miscarriages had three times as much BPA in their blood as women with successful pregnancies, which indicates that BPA increases the chances of miscarriages. On top of that, another study conducted in Massachusetts, America found that women who were undergoing fertility treatments and had higher concentrations of BPA in their urine produced fewer eggs.
Are all BPA-free bottles safe to use?
Whilst the public perception is that BPA-free bottles are safe to use, new research shows that this is unfortunately not the case.
When manufacturing BPA-free bottles, companies tend to substitute BPA with fluorene-9-bisphenol, or BHPF. But a study recently conducted in Beijing, China, shows that BHPF is similar to BPA in the fact that it binds to the body’s oestrogen receptors. This means that BHPF could also cause fertility problems.
What should you look out for when buying a water bottle?
As it’s not common practice for manufacturers to include information about what their bottles are made from (aside from the presence or absence of BPA!), it’s pretty hard for consumers to tell which plastic bottles are BHPF-free.
As such, experts advocate not using plastic bottles altogether, and switching to stainless steel bottles instead. There are no known safety issues with stainless steel bottles, and because stainless steel is non-reactive, the bottles do not leach chemicals.
(Credits)
If you’re looking for a stainless steel bottle, we recommend the Klean Kanteen range. Their latest product line features double-wall vacuum insulation, so that you can keep your drink hot for 20 hours, or iced for 50 hours. Obviously, since it’s a stainless steel bottle, it’s free of BPA, BHPF, and other toxic chemicals!
(Credits)
Firstly, research from Japan found that women with recurrent miscarriages had three times as much BPA in their blood as women with successful pregnancies, which indicates that BPA increases the chances of miscarriages. On top of that, another study conducted in Massachusetts, America found that women who were undergoing fertility treatments and had higher concentrations of BPA in their urine produced fewer eggs.
Are all BPA-free bottles safe to use?
Whilst the public perception is that BPA-free bottles are safe to use, new research shows that this is unfortunately not the case.
When manufacturing BPA-free bottles, companies tend to substitute BPA with fluorene-9-bisphenol, or BHPF. But a study recently conducted in Beijing, China, shows that BHPF is similar to BPA in the fact that it binds to the body’s oestrogen receptors. This means that BHPF could also cause fertility problems.
What should you look out for when buying a water bottle?
As it’s not common practice for manufacturers to include information about what their bottles are made from (aside from the presence or absence of BPA!), it’s pretty hard for consumers to tell which plastic bottles are BHPF-free.
As such, experts advocate not using plastic bottles altogether, and switching to stainless steel bottles instead. There are no known safety issues with stainless steel bottles, and because stainless steel is non-reactive, the bottles do not leach chemicals.
(Credits)
If you’re looking for a stainless steel bottle, we recommend the Klean Kanteen range. Their latest product line features double-wall vacuum insulation, so that you can keep your drink hot for 20 hours, or iced for 50 hours. Obviously, since it’s a stainless steel bottle, it’s free of BPA, BHPF, and other toxic chemicals!
