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# Making your home a plastic-free zone
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/bpa_1111110924/
- Published: 2011-11-11T22:19:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:04:30.000Z
- Description: A nutritionist describes clearing BPA-free plastics from her kitchen after reading of a study showing such products still release chemicals with estrogenic activity, in some cases stronger than BPA's. She links estrogenic chemicals to early puberty, reduced sperm counts and obesity.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Chemical, Food Safety, #vivvo-import

by **Conner Middelmann Whitney**

**Even “BPA-free” plastics can disrupt our hormones**

Even nutritionists can have dietary blind spots; mine was plastics.

Oh, don’t worry – having written about them extensively here [http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/nourish/201104/kick-the-can-and-eat-fresh-food](http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/nourish/201104/kick-the-can-and-eat-fresh-food?ref=foodconsumer.org), I’ve been very careful to avoid food containers, bottles and cans that contain bisphenol-a (BPA). BPA has come under heavy scrutiny amid suspicions that estrogen-like molecules in this material can leach into foods and drinks and, once consumed, disrupt our natural hormone balance.

But despite years of nagging by my husband to make our kitchen a “plastic-free-zone,” I had been hesitant to throw out faithful companions that I believed to be BPA-free, like my mixing bowls, plastic food storage boxes, chopping boards and gaily colored drinking cups. A combination of frugality and laziness prevented me from throwing out what seemed like perfectly good kitchen equipment and spending many hours and dollars replacing it all.

That is, until my husband forwarded me this eye-opening article [http://chriskresser.com/how-plastic-food-containers-could-be-making-you-fat-infertile-and-sick](http://chriskresser.com/how-plastic-food-containers-could-be-making-you-fat-infertile-and-sick?ref=foodconsumer.org) by acupuncturist Chris Kresser about a study [http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1003220](http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1003220&ref=foodconsumer.org) which showed that even **BPA-free plastics contain chemicals with estrogenic activity**. So “BPA-free” doesn’t mean free from endocrine disruptors. In fact, the study shows that in some cases, the estrogenic activity from BPA-free plastics was stronger than that of BPA!

Chemicals that have estrogenic activity – i.e. that mimic the body’s own are associated with a host of health problems: early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered functions of reproductive organs, obesity, altered sex-specific behaviors, and increased rates of some breast, ovarian, testicular, and prostate cancers. [One study](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2649216/pdf/EHP-117-175.pdf?ref=foodconsumer.org) found that even at weak concentrations BPA can block the effects of several commonly used chemotherapy agents on breast cancer cells. While BPA has been studied mostly in animals, only last month two new studies linked BPA to behavior problems in girls ([http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/24/us-bpa-tied-behavior-idUSTRE79N0X220111024?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/24/us-bpa-tied-behavior-idUSTRE79N0X220111024?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100&ref=foodconsumer.org)) and diabetes in adult humans ([http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/19/us-bpa-idUSTRE79I79G20111019](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/19/us-bpa-idUSTRE79I79G20111019?ref=foodconsumer.org)).

For the BPA-free plastics study, researchers bought 455 plastic products such as deli containers, plastic bags, food storage boxes, baby bottle components and food wraps from large retailers like Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or Target. Then they put the plastics in contact with liquids that contain the sorts of 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).

The results are shocking: **over 90 per cent of the products leached estrogenic chemicals before they were even stressed, and after being stressed almost all of the products showed estrogenic activity.** Worryingly, it’s impossible to know which type of plastic product may have stronger estrogenic activity than another because the chemical composition of commercially available plastics is the manufacturers’ secret. The study’s authors state that a single part of any plastic product may consist of 5–30 chemicals, and an item containing many parts (e.g., a baby bottle) may consist of more than 100 chemicals, almost all of which can leach from the product, especially when stressed.

According to the study’s authors there are plastics that do not exhibit estrogenic activity, even when stressed, which could be produced at minimal additional cost. Until these become commercially available, however, I recommend we declare our homes plastic-free zones.

Reducing our use of plastic has other benefits than “just” health. For one, after the initial outlay for non-plastic replacements, you will probably save money, for instance by carrying filtered water in a stainless-steel bottle rather than buying expensive bottled water, or preparing food from scratch (generally cheaper than packaged foods).

You will also reduce the amount of plastic garbage whose disposal is causing massive environmental problems. You may even discover the esthetic and tactile pleasure of handling time-honored natural materials like wood, earthenware, glass and cotton. What better way to honor the fresh, unprocessed foods lovingly grown by local farmers than to prepare and serve them in natural materials?

This doesn’t mean you can never touch plastic again. If you’re out and about on a sunny day and forgot to bring your stainless-steel or glass flask, it’s better to drink water from a plastic bottle rather than risk dehydration!

At home, however, there are many small ways in which we can shift from plastic to more chemically inert materials. For instance:

- Instead of buying food that’s tightly packaged in plastic (e.g. cheese or cold cuts from a supermarket chiller cabinet), buy it loose (e.g. at a deli counter, loosely wrapped in paper) and store in glass or stainless steel containers. Use these also for leftovers or fresh foods stored in the fridge and the freezer.
- Instead of buying cans (whose lining can contain BPA or similar compounds), eat fresh food or can it yourself in glass jars. The lids of many glass jars are also lined with plastic, so choose a brand that doesn’t have these (e.g. Weck). These also make attractive storage containers for dry foods (e.g. beans, nuts, rice) in cupboards and on shelves (their tight seals keep out food mites!).
- Babies should drink from glass bottles; toddlers can use stainless steel sippy cups.
- Drink filtered water from stainless-steel bottles instead of plastic ones (especially if these have been exposed to sunlight). Avoid drinks in cans, which are lined with plastic resins.
- Use ceramic, glass or metal bowls to prepare or serve food. This is especially important if you use a microwave oven. For cooking, use stainless steel or cast iron rather than pans covered with non-stick coatings.
- Use wooden or stainless steel cooking implements (spoons, spatulas, strainers etc) instead of plastics.
- At the dining table, use china or earthenware plates, and pitchers and glasses made of glass, not plastic.
- Instead of a plastic water kettle, use an old-fashioned enameled or stainless steel stove-top kettle.
- Instead of using automatic espresso machines, opt for a stainless steel stovetop espresso maker. If you make drip-filtered coffee, use paper filters in a ceramic, glass or stainless steel filter holder, rather than plastic equivalents.

Three years ago California woman Beth Terry started a blog, My Plastic-Free Life [http://myplasticfreelife.com/](http://myplasticfreelife.com/?ref=foodconsumer.org), in which she charts her progress towards de-plasticising her life, and offers 95 simple suggestions [http://plasticfreeguide.com/](http://plasticfreeguide.com/?ref=foodconsumer.org) (to date) for ways to reduce plastic in our lives. If you can think of other ways of cutting back on plastic, please suggest them in the comments section below.

*Copyright Conner Middelmann-Whitney. Conner is a nutritionist, health writer and cooking instructor; she posts weekly health-cooking videos on* [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/user/connermid?feature=mhee&ref=foodconsumer.org)*. She recently published* [Zest for Life, The Mediterranean Anti-Cancer Diet](http://www.z/?ref=foodconsumer.org)*, a cancer-prevention nutrition guide and cookbook based on the traditional Mediterranean diet (available at* [*Amazon*](http://www.amazon.com/Zest-Life-Mediterranean-Anti-Cancer-Diet/dp/0956866506/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1308814022&sr=8-1&ref=foodconsumer.org)*,* [*Barnes & Noble*](http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zest-for-life-conner-middelmann-whitney/1030973251?ref=foodconsumer.org) *and other online bookstores). Conner offers nutrition consultations via Skype; please consult her* [*website*](http://www.nutrelan.com/content/view/29/40/?ref=foodconsumer.org) *for details.*