BPA Free water jug

[SalSam]

I have just thrown out all my plastic bottles for the kids and got DS1 a sigg and DS2 a foogoo thermos which are BPA free. Stupid me just realised that I am filling their BPA free drink bottles with water from my Brita filter jug that I keep in the fridge. This will not be BPA free.

Can anyone reccomend or does anyone know of a filter jug that is BPA free?

[Buffy]

Not 100% sure, but isn't a BPA bottle only harmful when it's warmed up?

So the jug should be fine.

[Japh]

You could get a ceramic filter. They are big and can be $$$ but are plastic free

Here is one like ours.

[SalSam]

Originally Posted by Buffy

Not 100% sure, but isn't a BPA bottle only harmful when it's warmed up?

So the jug should be fine.

I don't know????????? anyone else?

[Martina]

Everything I've heard or read in the past claimed that plastics containing BPA were only an issue if the plastic was heated (eg. microwave) or had hot liquid put in it (boiling water straight from the kettle). It's when the plastic is hot that the BPA leaches out. My understanding is that if it's kept cold or at room temp then it's not an issue.

[Kaz&Co]

Originally Posted by Martina

Everything I've heard or read in the past claimed that plastics containing BPA were only an issue if the plastic was heated (eg. microwave) or had hot liquid put in it (boiling water straight from the kettle). It's when the plastic is hot that the BPA leaches out. My understanding is that if it's kept cold or at room temp then it's not an issue.

Yep - that was my understanding too!!!

Do you have to have a filter jug?? What about a nice stainless steal one??? Like these??

I've already asked Santa for one for Christmas!!! PMSL!!!

[JanelleC]

found this website... Water Filters & Jugs, On-Tap Filtration - Shop Naturally Healthy Households
there are some nice glass jugs around (some come in sets with cups) but I did find this

In the study, new and old bottles filled with room-temperature water released the same amount of BPA. When scientists exposed new and used bottles to boiling water, however, they released BPA up to 55 times more rapidly than before heating

from here Heat causes chemical to leach from plastic - USATODAY.com. MIL told me and not sure if it's right but the BPA was mainly from clear plastics.

[SalSam]

thanks for the sites girls. It is so hard to know the right thing to do with all the contradicting information.

[Goannabanda]

Part of my job involves putting risks of chemical exposure into context with everday life, so maybe this information about BPA and exposure routes will help bring you some reassurance...

BPA is found in:

• a variety of common products including polycarbonate plastics (used to make baby and water bottles, sports equipment, medical and dental devices, dental fillings and sealants, eyeglass lenses, CDs and DVDs, and household electronics).
• epoxy resins used as coatings on the inside of almost all food and beverage cans.
• high concentrations in thermal paper and carbonless copy paper
• the flame retardant, tetrabromobisphenol A
• historically used as a fungicide.

Most human exposure to BPA comes from the plastic lining of canned foods (most metal food and beverage containers have been sealed with BPA-contining plastics or resins).

To a lesser degree, exposure comes from polycarbonate plastics, especially those that are cleaned with harsh detergents or used to contain acidic or high-temperature liquids.

Infants fed with liquid formula are among the most exposed, and those fed formula from polycarbonate bottles can consume up to 13 micrograms of bisphenol A per kg of body weight per day. Sterilising the bottles (via heat or chemical means), and then warming up the feed are probably contrirbuting factors to this relatively high level of ingestion. Hence why many manufacturers are responding to consumer demands to remove BPA from their products.

Microwaving food in plastic containers is also another major source of human dietary expsoure.

While most human exposure is through diet, exposure can also occur through air and through skin absorption.

Various consumer groups recommend that people wishing to lower their exposure to bisphenol A avoid canned food and polycarbonate plastic containers (which shares resin identification code 7 with many other plastics) unless the packaging indicates the plastic is bisphenol A-free. The US National Toxicology Panel recommends avoiding microwaving food in plastic containers, putting plastics in the dishwasher, or using harsh detergents, to avoid leaching.

So, while your water filter jug is polycarbonate, therefore contains BPA, I am assuming that:

• the water stays in the jug less than a day on average
• the jug is normally kept in the fridge
• you hand wash it

..and if these assumptions are correct, then there would be fairly low risk of BPA leaching into your filtered water.

When put into the context of other sources of BPA exposure that we all come into contact with on a daily basis, if the above assumptions are true, then using your water filter jug to filter and refill your boy's bottles up would be a fairly low level risk / source of BPA exposure.

Personally, I'm more worried about the canned food and plastic microwave containers lurking in the cupboards... **runs home to clear out the plastic microwave gear and replace with china / glass...**

HTH

[joji]

OMG Anna, I had no idea it was in canned food! That's going to be our biggest exposure I reckon - and there's nothing much you can do about it except limit the amount of tinned food you eat I guess. But tins of tomatoes are a staple for cooking...