This article was co-authored by Kathryn Kellogg and by wikiHow staff writer, Aly Rusciano. Kathryn Kellogg is the founder of goingzerowaste.com, a lifestyle website dedicated to breaking eco-friendly living down into a simple step-by-step process with lots of positivity and love. Kathryn is the author of two books focusing on sustainability, 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste and 101 Tips for a Zero Waste Kitchen. She is the spokesperson for plastic-free living for National Geographic, has been featured by the Guardian, CNN, Refinery29, and Bustle, and has a following on instagram of over 700k.
There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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BPA or bisphenol-A is a chemical found in a wide range of plastic products, such as food storage containers and reusable water bottles. With researchers slowly discovering more ways BPA could potentially affect users’ health, BPA-free products have become increasingly popular. So, how can you tell if a plastic product is BPA-free or whether or not it contains BPA? Looking for a “BPA-free” label or the number 1, 2, 4, or 5 on the bottom of the product should do the trick. Keep reading for more information.
Things You Should Know
- Plastic products labeled with the numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 typically don’t contain BPA; however, products labeled with 3, 6, and 7 likely do.
- Products marketed as “BPA-free” are usually the safest to use and come into little contact with BPA during manufacturing.
- Plastic products made before 2012 likely have BPA, as BPA wasn’t banned in common household items (such as baby bottles) until 2012.
Steps
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhy is plastic such a popular material?Community AnswerBecause it is easily malleable and cheap to source. Also, plastics are harder to break, unlike glass.
Tips
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BPA isn’t used directly in dental sealants or composites, but it may still contain traces from the manufacturing process; however, the health risks of leaving cavities or other dental problems untreated far outweigh concerns about trace amounts of BPA.[14]Thanks
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BPA is often replaced by bisphenol-S (BPS) or similar chemicals. There’s growing evidence that BPS (and other similar chemicals) may also cause similar effects on the human body as BPA.[15]Thanks
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If you’re concerned about BPA and want to avoid it, you should probably try to limit your contact with all plastics (especially polycarbonate plastics).Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331
- ↑ https://www.factsaboutbpa.org/blog/what-exactly-does-a-bpa-free-label-mean/
- ↑ https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/chemicals/bisphenol_a/
- ↑ https://www.fda.gov/food/food-packaging-other-substances-come-contact-food-information-consumers/questions-answers-bisphenol-bpa-use-food-contact-applications
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331
- ↑ http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/bpa-lurks-in-canned-soups-and-drinks/?_r=0
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2774166/#
- ↑ http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055387
- ↑ https://www.fda.gov/food/food-packaging-other-substances-come-contact-food-information-consumers/questions-answers-bisphenol-bpa-use-food-contact-applications
- ↑ https://www.factsaboutbpa.org/benefits-applications/why-bpa/
- ↑ https://www.fda.gov/food/food-packaging-other-substances-come-contact-food-information-consumers/questions-answers-bisphenol-bpa-use-food-contact-applications
- ↑ http://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.95660
- ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/01/health/bpa-free-alternatives-may-not-be-safe/
About This Article
BPA is found in a lot of plastic products, but you can find BPA-free plastic by reading the label. Many plastic products, from toys to food containers, have a number label that tells you if they have BPA in them. Look on the bottom of products for a number between 1 and 7 inside a triangle made of 3 arrows. Items marked with a 3, 6, or 7 are most likely to contain BPA. Items with a 1, 2, 4, or 5 generally don’t contain BPA. The safest way to avoid BPA is to look at these numbers and look for a label that says “BPA free.” Older plastics are more likely to contain BPA and less likely to have any identifying numbers, so it’s best to discard them if you want to avoid BPA. To learn how to find plastic alternatives for toys and food containers, keep reading!
Reader Success Stories
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"Identification of BPA free plastic was very useful. Furthermore we should not adopt repeated use of same plastic."