Make a healthy switch to store your food
From baby bottles to water bottles, there's a particularly worrisome chemical you'd do best to avoid: bisphenol-A. I've written about its sketchy nature in past House Calls, and incredibly, there's still a tug-of-war debate between the chemical makers who want to keep selling it, the health experts who know its dangerous, and environmental groups, who are more concerned about what goes into landfills than what goes into your body.
A new government-sponsored report exposed safety concerns with this chemical. Meanwhile, the chemical companies are digging in, claiming that there's no cause for concern about potentially nasty side effects in humans who ingest this chemical. Experiments with animals have shown a link between bisphenol-A and precancerous tumors, early-onset physical development in small children, and urinary tract infections.
While the research so far has only been on just animals (do they fear testing on humans for some reason?), it's hard to ignore the prevailing opinion from the group that did the research (which includes the CDC, NIH and even the FDA): Even they say you can't dismiss the results. And if they're concerned by these study results—I'd say it's time to take action immediately.
A safe alternative is the same one your grandparents used: glass containers. They won't leach chemicals into your foods and drinks, though they're obviously not as forgiving when dropped. But an occasional broken glass is a much better deal than a tumor.
Remember Bell canning jars? I've seen many a person use them for everything from storing food to holding beverages. They're inexpensive—you can pick up a box of them from your local grocer, especially this time of year when people are beginning their canning for the season. Another option is stainless steel, which is widely available in a variety of container types, including insulated thermos beverage containers.
