What’s healthier and more vital to our existence than water? Definitely not bottled water. In fact, it’s loaded with so many chemicals it will make your head spin.

According to recent research that looked at 18 bottled water brands, there are an astonishing 24,520 chemicals in bottled water (which makes you wonder just how many chemicals there are in the world if water can contain more than 24,000).

We already know putting anything in plastic knocks its health value down a few notches, even if it’s just because of the indirect health risk from the environmental damage plastic causes, polluting our water and our food supply.

Heating plastic with food in it (like in the microwave) is an absolute no-no, as it makes the chemicals more active and capable of leaching into your food and of course, your bloodstream.

Plastics are hotbeds for endocrine disruptors, which can mimic the body’s natural metabolic functions, throwing off these delicate systems and causing health problems.

The study authors wrote: “We detected antiestrogens and antiandrogens in the majority of analyzed bottled water products. Moreover, the antagonist activity was very potent. An equivalent of 3.75 ml bottled water inhibited estrogen and androgen receptor by up to 60 and 90%, respectively… Bottled water from six different countries has been found to contain estrogenic, antiestrogenic, and antiandrogenic (this study), as well as androgenic, progestagenic, and glucocorticoid-like chemicals. This demonstrates that a popular beverage is contaminated with diverse-acting EDCs.”

And these endocrine disrupting chemicals can lead to cancer, birth defects, cardiovascular issues and developmental issues for children, reports Natural Society—all from something as important and should-be-harmless as water in a bottle.

Terrifying, yes, especially if bottled water is your only option, like if you’re traveling to another country. But there are workaround options like Life Straws and filters that can make conventional tap water a healthier option. There are also a few brands of bottled water that come in glass. Of course, if you’re in a situation where there literally is no other option, drink the water from the bottle. While there are health risks to contend with from plastic, there are far more immediate and potentially dangerous risks in not drinking any water at all.

Find Jill on Twitter and Instagram

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Bottled water image via Shutterstock

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Breast cancer prevention means controlling the environmental toxins running rampant in your home.

Manufacturers love to say that their products only use trace amounts of dangerous chemicals, often known or suspected carcinogens. But the problem is these “trace” chemicals add up in a woman’s system. This is especially true because the industrial era has brought so many chemicals into our lives in places that we might never have suspected.

Carcinogens hide in personal care products, furniture, building supplies, and cleaning products to name just a handful. But there are a number of steps that you can take to detox your home of many of these chemicals.

One of the biggest changes holistic health nutritionist and breast cancer survivor Kristina Sampson’s made in her life is switching to cleaning with vodka. That’s right, this health guru couldn’t believe what she found in so many of the household cleaning products we use without even thinking. Today, Sampson heads to the liquor store for her cleaning fix because she’s found that the cheapest vodka in the store is one of the best natural disinfectants on the market.

But that’s just the beginning. With the help of Sampson and tons of research, we’ve uncovered a crazy list of chemicals that all women should avoid where possible.

81 Toxic Breast Cancer Prevention Culprits Hiding in Your Home

Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body, and they are found in everyday products. They disrupt the body’s endocrine system (a bodily system made up of glands and hormones) from sending the correct signals. This group of chemicals include parabens, phthalates, triclosan, and triclocarbon. Of 40 women tested, parabens were found in 99 percent of their breast tumors, according to Sampson. These ingredients are used because they are chemically very stable which is good for manufacturing but bad for your body. Since the chemicals can’t break down, they stay in your system. Avoid them by reading labels. Also, avoid anti-bacterial products that likely contain triclosan. Here are a number of places they hide.

1. Shampoo

2. Conditioner

3. Body lotion

4. Face lotion

5. Anti-aging creams

6. Toothpaste

7. Socks

8. Foundation

9. Shaving cream

10. Anti-perspirants

11. Deodorants

12. Makeup remover

13. Spray gel

14. Facial wash

15. Eye cream

Fragrance

Many products that contain endocrine disruptors also contain another scary culprit, fragrance. When you see the word fragrance, you may picture fields of lavender or sunflowers–a subtle natural fragrance that makes all of your favorite products that much more appealing. Not so fast. Fragrances are one of the most dangerous chemicals in everyday products. Here’s why: Fragrances are protected by intellectual property and that means that manufacturers don’t have to tell you the source of the fragrance. Basically, it’s a ridiculous loophole that allows companies to hide what could be hundreds of chemical additives. Fragrance are a means of hiding endocrine disruptors, allergens, and neurotoxins in products. And they’re everywhere including almost all of the products listed above. Avoid fragrance by choosing fragrance-free products or fragrance that comes from natural sources which are listed. Here are some places you’ll find fragrance.

16. Soap

17. Body wash

18. Lipstick

19. Lip gloss

20. All purpose cleaner

21. Perfume

22. Body spray

23. Pet shampoo

24. Hand soap

25. Scented candles

26. Diffusers

27. Facial masks

28. Massage oil

29. Dryer sheets

30. Laundry soap

BPA

While BPA is also an endocrine disruptor, it gets a separate category because it’s found in another category of household products. BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used in plastics and resins.

31. Canned foods

32. Baby toys

33. Baby bottles

34. Plastic #7, polycarbonate

35. Compact discs

36. DVDs

37. Protective eyewear

38. Sales receipts

39. Sippy cups

40. Cell phones

41. Laptops

42. Tablets

43. PDAs

44. Computer gaming units

45. Game consoles

Benzene

Benzene is a colorless or light colored liquid that’s very flammable. Benzene is one of the top chemicals used for industrial purposes in the U.S. It’s also a chemical linked to breast cancer.

46. Tobacco smoke

47. Glue

48. Paints

49. Furniture waxes

50. Detergents

51. Gasoline

52. Solvents

1,3-Butadiene

This chemical is found in many of the mammary tumors of rodents. It’s an air pollutant and a human carcinogen. The pollutant had a greater impact on younger female rodents than on older.

53. Latex gloves

54. Spray sunscreens

55. Carpet

56. Adhesives

57. Rubber

58. Tires

Lead

Lead is a naturally occurring substance that’s found in the Earth’s crust. It’s an element, so it can’t be broken down into smaller pieces. Researchers have found that lead is a substance that causes cancer to grow. Although more research needs to be done to know definitively, it’s good practice to avoid this known neurotoxin whenever possible.

59. Drinking water

60. Soil

61. Ceramics

62. Bullets

63. Batteries

64. Pipes

Mercury

Methylmercury can disrupt the hormone regulated cellular process. Higher accumulations have also been found in cancerous breast biopsies of women than in women without cancer. Mercury is also known to impact the central nervous system. Those exposed to too much, can suffer from a wide array of symptoms including sleep disturbance, headaches, fatigue, memory and concentration problems, and neuropathy.

65. CFL lightbulbs

66. Fish

67. Thermometers

68. Thermostats

69. Skin lightening creams

70. Antiques

71. Vaccines

72. Dental fillings

Pesticides

Household pesticides and pest killing poisons are often listed as human carcinogens. Dichlorvos, a common ingredient in household pesticides, for example is associated with mammary tumors in rats and mice. Another, glyphosate is linked to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Avoid household pesticides as much as possible in your home. Use natural methods like predatory insects to protect your garden and household plants.

73. Roach sprays

74. Roach baits

75. Bath and kitchen disinfectants

76. Rodent poisons

77. Insect repellants

78. Weed killers

79. Products that kill mildew

80. Flea and tick soaks

81. Bleach

Don’t panic. Of course some of these chemicals are currently in your home. It’s nearly impossible to be free of all environmental toxins. But there are steps that you can take to start reducing the build up. Some, of course, are easier than others. Start buying natural makeup and personal care products free of the chemicals above. Clean with vodka, white vinegar, and baking soda rather than chemical cleaners. Choose natural materials like untreated wood and glass in your home instead of plastic. And lose the chemical pesticides.

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The post 81 Toxic Breast Cancer Culprits Hiding in Your Home appeared first on EcoSalon.

There are many breast cancer risk factors, and new research has found 102 more of them in common chemicals. But BPA is not on this list.

Researchers from the Silent Spring Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health have compiled the comprehensive list of chemicals that can be considered breast cancer risk factors—and the list surprisingly does not include BPA (bisphenol A)—the much fretted over endocrine disruptor found in plastic bottles and aluminum can linings.

“Instead, the study draws attention to much more potent estrogenic chemicals than BPA, such as Estradiol-17b, a component of oral contraceptives and hormone therapies, which has entered domestic wastewater—and possibly drinking water—via urination,” reports Forbes Magazine.

The study actually suggests that BPA is not a breast cancer risk factor, even though it’s been pointed to by numerous health organizations. Instead, the study focuses on other chemicals, including acrylamide—a chemical that is created in high heat cooking of certain starches (like potato chips). Also on the list in benzene, which can be produced in the presence of sodium benzoate when in combination with vitamin C. Sodium benzoate is a preservative in many food and skin care items. The authors write in the report, “these 102 comprise a diverse set of chemicals and exposures, including components of automobile exhaust, gasoline, and air pollution (1,3-butadiene, benzene, PAHs, nitro-PAHs), chemicals in food and drinking water (acrylamide, ochratoxin A, heterocyclic amines, styrene, 3-chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone [MX]), chemicals in consumer products and building materials (flame retardants, aromatic amines, perfluorinated compounds), pharmaceuticals, endocrine disruptors, and some chemicals with important occupational exposures (halogenated solvents, ethylene oxide [EtO]).”

Even the “best-established risk factors for breast cancer are associated with fairly modest increases in risk” the study authors note. And reports Forbes, “weak associations based on long-term chemical exposures are going to be very hard to detect, and risk producing many false positives.”

The study once again proves that prevention is key: avoiding chemicals in food, water and personal care products, as well as having a regular physical activity practice.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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With concerns over the negative health effects of BPA (bisphenol-A) on the rise, news that exposure may lead to breast cancer doesn’t bode well for the plastic industry.

According to the research from the University of Texas at Arlington and published in a recent issue of the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, when breast cancer and mammary gland cells were exposed to BPA, the chemical worked with naturally occurring molecules, including estrogen, to create a more hospitable environment for breast cancer growth.

The researchers looked at a molecule known as RNA HOTAIR (HOX antisense intergenic RNA), which is a long, non-coding RNA found in human and some animal DNA. It has some ability through expression to suppress the genes that would slow tumor growth or kill cancer cells. “High levels of HOTAIR expression have been linked to breast tumors, pancreatic and colorectal cancers, sarcoma and others,” reports ScienceDaily.

BPA seemed to assist in the production of “abnormal amounts” of HOTAIR expression. “We can’t immediately say BPA causes cancer growth, but it could well contribute because it is disrupting the genes that defend against that growth,” said researcher Subhrangsu Mandal, associate professor of chemistry/biochemistry. “We were surprised to find that BPA not only increased HOTAIR in tumor cells but also in normal breast tissue,” added Arunoday Bhan, a PhD student in Mandal’s lab.

Used in a number of food containers, thermal register receipts and household products, BPA was recently banned from some baby products sold in the U.S. including sippy cups and bottles. The chemical has been banned or tightly restricted in countries including France, Canada and China.

BPA is known as an endocrine disruptor, which mimics human hormones thus interfering with hormone regulation and function. It has been linked to reproductive issues, including early puberty, obesity and cancers.

“Understanding the developmental impact of these synthetic hormones is an important way to protect ourselves and could be important for treatment,” said Mandal.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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Common endocrine disruptors are the focus of a new dirty dozen list of toxins to avoid.

You’re likely familiar the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen–a list of the most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables in the store. Recently, EWG partnered with the Keep a Breast Foundation to develop a report on endocrine disruptors for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“There is no end to the tricks that endocrine disruptors can play on our bodies: increasing production of certain hormones; decreasing production of others; imitating hormones; turning one hormone into another; interfering with hormone signaling; telling cells to die prematurely; competing with essential nutrients; binding to essential hormones; accumulating in organs that produce hormones,” states the Dirty Dozen report.

Here are 5 of the worst poisons on the new Dirty Dozen list (and how to keep them out of your home).

1. BPA

BPA, commonly found in plastics and food packaging, has been linked to breast cancer as well as other types of cancers. Other potential side effects of exposure to BPA include reproductive problems, obesity, early puberty, and heart disease. What’s worse, 93 percent of Americans have BPA in their bodies, including most children.

How to Avoid BPA

• Eat fresh instead of canned foods.
• Say no to receipts because thermal paper is often coated with BPA.
• Avoid using #7 plastics.

2. Dioxin

Dioxins disrupt female and male sex hormones, and research has shown that exposure to low levels of dioxins in the womb can permanently reduce sperm counts. It’s also a powerful carcinogen that impacts reproductive and immune health.

How to Avoid Dioxins

• Unfortunately, the ongoing industrial release of dioxins means that they’re hard to avoid in our food system.
• Animal products are most likely contaminated so reduce or eliminate meat, eggs, fish, and butter.

3. Atrazine

Low levels of the herbicide atrazine has been shown to feminize male frogs. Atrazine is commonly used on corn crops and often contaminates drinking water. It has been linked to breast tumors, delayed puberty, and prostate inflammation.

How to Avoid Atrazine

• Buy organic food whenever possible.
• Filter your water using reverse osmosis filtration.

4. Phthalates

Phthalates, like BPA, are becoming recognized as an endocrine disruptor to avoid. They trigger cell death in testicular cells as well as causing hormone changes and reducing mobile sperm. Phthalates have also been linked to obesity, diabetes, birth defects in the male reproductive system, and thyroid problems.

How to Avoid Phthalates

• Avoid plastic containers.
• Avoid plastic wrap made with PVC.
• Avoid using #3 plastics.
• Choose personal care products that are free of phthalates.

5. Perchlorate

Perchlorate is a potent environmental toxin. When it gets into your system it alters the thyroid, which regulates metabolism in adults as well as proper brain and organ development in infants and young children.

How to Avoid Perchlorate

• Filter drinking water through reverse osmosis.
• Get enough iodine to reverse the impact that perchlorate can have on your thyroid system.

Check out the rest of Dirty Dozen list of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

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The post The New Dirty Dozen: Avoid These Dangerous Endocrine Disruptors appeared first on EcoSalon.

Humans have created enough plastic to make land mass equal to what’s already on the planet. Much of it is floating in the oceans, possibly forming into new continents as you read this. But the effects, including notably high levels of estrogen in the environment, are challenging the survival of all life forms. 

The human body is little more than a vessel operated by a number of hormones. Chemicals including estrogen send signals through the body helping organs function properly, encouraging development, sexual maturity and even influencing our moods and personality. We are little more than fleshy, uninteresting blobs without these chemicals.

“Foreign” estrogens, also called xenoestrogens, come by way of environmental chemicals, including those found in many types of plastics, detergents, heavy metals and pesticides. When the body is exposed to estrogen in the environment, it can interfere with its ability to produce and regulate its own hormone levels. Our body treats this chemical exposure kind of like how most people treat staying at a hotel. Most people don’t clean up after themselves because they know someone else is going to do it anyway. When the body is exposed to foreign estrogen, it stops producing and regulating its own hormones.

Estrogen dominance, a condition where women who have been exposed to endocrine disruptors can produce too much estrogen and not enough progesterone, can wreak havoc on reproductive systems. Symptoms can include early onset of the menstrual cycle in girls age ten and younger. It can also create issues with the female reproductive system including infertility and certain types of cancer.

Men are also at risk from the effects of environmental estrogens including an increased risk of developing prostate cancer, penis deformities (when exposed in utero), and infertility. “Man boobs” can often be a result of this exposure, too, as can breast cancer in men.

In the environment we see the effects of copious amounts of plastic in our oceans sterilizing fish populations, turning frogs from one gender to another, killing birds and marine mammals. Many are born with deformities and health complications that have scientists suggesting the risks to humans may be even greater than previously believed.

Limiting exposure to known contaminants can decrease the risks. Cutting out plastic water bottles, baby toys and pesticide-treated foods can have a significant impact on the body’s ability to handle environmental estrogen. But the risks don’t disappear completely, particularly if you live in an urban environment where the air and water are more likely to include traces of endocrine disruptors.

Recent research noted increased health risks from low-dose exposure versus high levels of chemicals, confounding the situation even further. Around the world, countries are enacting tighter regulations on chemicals like BPA and industrial pollutions that leach hormone disruptors into the environment. But just like the amount of plastic in our oceans may be forming new continents, the chemicals may be also forming new life–creatures as dependent on environmental hormones for developmental cues as they were once dependent on their own bodies to make them–people with plastic hormones.

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Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Image: Il Giglio Bianco

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We live in an increasingly toxic world, and labels don’t always tell the truth. Staying healthy requires a little bit of homework. These apps can help.

Despite safety standards and regulations, harmful ingredients linger in almost everything we touch. Over a lifetime, exposure to these harmful substances can put us at risk for serious illnesses and diseases. Even worse, toys and foods marketed to children are some of the worst chemical culprits, and too much exposure too early in life can significantly stunt physical and mental development. A 2011 study from the University of California, San Francisco revealed that 100 percent of expectant mothers are exposed to multiple chemicals; these toxic chemicals can effect our health before we even enter the world.

To protect ourselves and our families from dangerous substances like BPA (Bisphenol A), phthalates, formaldehyde, and chemical pesticides and fertilizers, we need to be educated about what to look for, the risks posed, and healthier alternatives. Unfortunately, we very rarely see these ingredients (or the companies who use them) discussed in the mainstream media.

Self-education is a necessity, but who has time to pore over ingredient lists or toxicology analyses? Here are a handful of mobile apps that you can download instantly and use to keep these health-threatening substances out of your home and life.

1. App: Dirty Dozen (Free)
Toxins Identified: Pesticides in produce

Created by the Environmental Working Group, the “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce” app will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated produce.

2. App: findNano (Free)
Toxins Identified: Nanoparticles

Use findNano to discover consumer products that manufacturers claim to use or are enabled by nanotechnology in everything from sporting goods to food products, electronics and kids’ toys. And if you find a nano-product not on the list – no problem. Using the “submit new product” function, users can take or select a photo of the product and submit it for possible inclusion in future updates.

3. App: Cosmetifique ($0.99)
Toxins Identified: Chemicals in cosmetics

Cosmetifique shows you the quality of the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) of your cosmetic products. When you look for ingredients, the app displays results in different colors (green for good, yellow for acceptable, orange for not good and red for awful) that enable you to verify the risks associated with each ingredient.

4. App: Peaceful Nursery Guide ($0.99)
Toxins Identified: Chemicals in kids’ products

The Peaceful Nursery app features a quick and easy shopping checklist of all the right items to buy for the nursery, along with tips about what to avoid, and an explanation of what chemicals are often found in each product.

5. App: GoodGuide (Free)
Toxins Identified: Chemicals in food, personal care, and household products

The GoodGuide mobile app makes it fast and easy to find safe, healthy, green, and ethical products, instantly delivering the information you need, when you need it most — in a store and on the go. Use the handy barcode scanner feature to retrieve product ratings and information on your phone while shopping.

Top image: shawnzlea

The post 5 Mobile Apps For A Non-Toxic Lifestyle appeared first on EcoSalon.

A round-up of what we’re reading right now. 

How the organizers of the Great GoogaMooga Festival are making artisanal food the new rock ‘n roll. [via Inc.]

Sweden’s most expensive home is glass-enclosed and James Bond-worthy. [via Curbed]

If celebrities like Malin Akerman and Josh Groban can live on less than $1.50 a day, you can too. [via GOOD]

Toxins like BPA and glyphosate are invading our bodies through the products we buy, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Here’s how our endocrine systems are suffering from it. [via Organic Authority]

Rice ‘n beans: a match made in sustenance heaven. Or is it? [via NPR’s The Salt]

Mum’s the word this week. This guide provides dozens of conscience-friendly gift ideas for Mother’s Day on Sunday. [via GirlieGirlArmy]

Image: Jessica Marati

The post Link Love: Gift Guides and GoogaMooga appeared first on EcoSalon.

BPA, or Biphensol A, has become the scourge of environmentalists and health advocates. And rightly so – the chemical has been used for over forty years and is found in nearly everything made of plastic. From bottles, to children’s toys, to the lining of tin cans and even the coating of sales receipts, this chemical was long considered safe by the FDA. Then studies started showing up proving the government wrong.

Just how does BPA harm you? As Time reported, “the chemical has been linked to neurological disorders, hormonal disruptions, cancer and genital abnormalities in newborn boys.” Now studies have turned their attention to its influence on fertility, as lab animals showed side effects such as infertility.

Ah, yes, fertility. It seems like you can’t open a web browser these days without someone wringing their hands over the state of women’s reproductive abilities. (We’ve previously discussed fertility drugs and misconceptions about this topic.) Do we really need another discussion over the state of women’s reproductive skills? Won’t someone think of the (unborn) children?

Based on the recent news out of medicine covering the dangerous effect of BPA on fertility – yes, we do. As Time reports, extensive studies were conducted in 2007 and 2008 at the University of San Francisco to see if BPA had an impact on fertility and IVF by studying women who were undergoing the procedure. It turns out, it does. Scientists think that BPA damages the quality of eggs in women. They found that higher blood levels of BPA, they found, were linked to a “50% reduction in normal fertilization of eggs after they were retrieved for IVF.”

Further, BPA may damage sperm. Via The Daily Green, Kaiser Permanente recently published a report that BPA can reduce sperm count and mobility in men. BPA mimics estrogen in the body which would account for its negative influence on sperm. Experts conclude that more studies will be necessary to look at this connection. But in the light of this evidence, one wonders why Congress recently refused to ban BPA from baby products.

The good news? While regulations seem to rise and fall regarding the permanent disuse of this chemical, people are starting to listen to its dangers. Even the government has released a warning on how to reduce you and your children’s exposure to the chemical.

And until BPA is banned permanently, there are some easy ways to avoid BPA. Lose the plastic bottles and containers in your home. And if you must go plastic, avoid plastics with recycling codes 3 and 7. They are more likely to contain BPA. Also, lose any plastic containers that are scratched. This is an easier route for the BPA to leech into your system.

Image: stevendepolo

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After years of claiming it’s not a risk, the EPA has announced that it will formally list Bisphenol A (BPA) as a “chemical of concern”. Considering all the studies showing how this hormone disruptor can affect our bodies, this is great news – but don’t expect big changes anytime soon. As we wait for manufacturers to perform tests on the chemical’s impact, it’s up to us to avoid BPA as much as we can.

Cutting BPA out altogether is easier said than done if you want to use any modern products whatsoever, but you can significantly lower your exposure – as long as you know exactly where this chemical is lurking. We’ve heard a lot about BPA in some reusable bottles, but some of the sources are surprisingly sneaky. Here are 17 common products that contain BPA and how to avoid them.

1. Dental Sealants – If you want to protect those pearly whites with some dental bonding or sealants, beware the specter of BPA. A study found that this chemical can leach into saliva following certain dental procedures. But don’t panic – BPA-free alternatives are available; just ask your dentist.

2. Receipts – You know how most modern receipts have a really smooth texture? That slick coating usually contains (you guessed it) BPA. And it’s no trivial nanogram quantity – we’re talking sizeable amounts that can pass into your skin or consumed when you eat. Studies on exactly how much ends up in the body are forthcoming, but at least this one is easy to avoid: just say no to receipts. You’ll save paper and prevent waste, too.

3. Baby Bottles – Babies are particularly susceptible to harmful effects from BPA, so many parents find the fact that it’s present in some bottles worrisome to say the least. Luckily, however, BPA-free bottles are now widely available and the top six baby bottle makers in the U.S. have agreed to stop using the chemical.

4. Children’s Toys – Nom nom nom! Gotta love all that BPA (not to mention lead and other toxins) that children end up chomping on when they’re innocently playing with their toys. But thanks to all those protective parents out there, the internet is rife with recommendations for BPA-free brands. Check out the Consumer Reports Toy Buying Guide for safe options.

5. Canned Food Liners – Soups, juices, beans and tomatoes. All of these goods and more are often tainted with BPA when canned, all because of a protective plastic lining. The Environmental Working Group performed tests on a wide range of goods and found the highest concentrations in infant formula, chicken soup and ravioli. But not all brands use BPA – get a list at Treehugger.

6. Canning Jar Lids – Alas, even when you preserve your own foods, BPA is there to rain on your parade. Canning jar lids have a lining similar to that in tin cans, but there’s usually minimal contact with food. If you want to be extra-careful, seek out glass-lidded canning jars like those made by Weck.

7. Plastic food containers – They may be convenient, making it easy to store, transport and reheat food, but plastic food containers are one of the biggest sources of BPA. The easiest and most important step you can take is to stop microwaving food in plastic containers. BPA-free stainless steel and glass options are readily available and last longer anyway.

8. Medical Devices – Could plastic components be leaching BPA into patients’ bodies during heart bypass surgeries and hemodialysis? The FDA haslaunched a pair of studies to find out. It’s a concern due to the length of time that patients can be exposed to the chemical, but it only affects a small portion of the population so chances are, you don’t have to worry about this one.

9. Pizza Boxes – If you haven’t groaned in frustration already, do it now and get it out of your system. Yes, even certain recycled pizza boxes are said to contain BPA. Since pizza boxes can’t usually be recycled anyway, why not make this easy on yourselves and either make pizza at home or eat in instead of getting delivery. Score an easy and extremely delicious New York-style pizza crust recipe (my personal favorite) from Recipezaar.com.

10. Toilet Paper – Remember those pesky receipts? It turns out, they’re often recycled into toilet paper, BPA and all. But this problem is bigger than the amount that gets transferred to your private bits in the bathroom. Once toilet paper is flushed and processed at waste plants, much of that BPA ends up in surface water and groundwater. Does this mean we should ditch recycled toilet paper and use that virgin tree stuff instead? Not necessarily, but it is a tough call.

11. Water Coolers – The large hard plastic bottles used in water coolers are yet another source of BPA. A better (and less wasteful) option is to simply outfit your kitchen faucet with a filter from Brita or PUR, which are BPA-free.

12. Soda Cans – If you’re one of those people with a Diet Coke can permanently glued to your hand, listen up. Bizarre chemical ingredients and artificial sweeteners aren’t the only enemy in that caustic stuff – BPA is found in almost all brands of canned soft drinks. Cut back on your soda intake, and you’ll be better off in more ways than one.

13. Beer and Wine – While there’s no good way to avoid the BPA that is sometimes found in the epoxy lining of wine vats short of giving up wine altogether (crazy talk!), you can skip the BPA-flavored beer by simply choosing bottles over cans. BPA is a bigger risk in canned beer than in soda, because it’s highly soluble in alcohol.

14. Eyewear – If you wear sunglasses or eyeglasses with plastic lenses, you’re probably in constant contact with BPA all day long. It’s tough to tell how much of an impact this could have on health, but if you want to be safe, metal frames are a good bet.

15. CDs and DVDs – It’s probably safe to say that you don’t often lick your CDs or DVDs, and we handle them so briefly, the BPA contained within these items isn’t a threat to most people.

16. Blenders and Food Processors – Since these items are in direct contact with our food, it’s good to know which brands contain BPA and which don’t. Consumer research website Z Recommends has a handy guide, with the Beaba Babycook, the Vita-Mix 5200 blender and Hamilton Beach’s Big Mouth food processors all coming out winners in the “safe” category.

17. Car Parts – These days, car interiors are almost entirely made from hard plastics, so it’s not too surprising to learn that BPA lurks in the steering wheel, gear shift, dashboard and more. Good luck finding a plastic-free vehicle – but hey, it’s another good excuse to walk more often.

Images: stevendepolo, conor lawless, rolandslakis, fernashes

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