It is amazing how sometimes a chance encounter or event could change your life, making you aware of things you never knew existed. I must first say that all the views expressed here are of my own, and I am not an expert in chemistry or plastics.
All of it started last Tuesday at the Barns and Noble bookstore, where the Husby and I were at while waiting for the laundry to dry. I picked up Newsweek, and came across this article:
The Chemicals Within. I never knew about bisphenol A (BPA) prior to this:
It's a basic constituent of the polycarbonate plastics found in many baby bottles, sippy cups and juice bottles. A highly versatile compound, it is also found in dental sealants, CDs, DVDs and the resin linings of food and beverage containers, including many cans and takeout cartons. But most scientists say small amounts can leach out—and ultimately find their way into our bodies—when the plastics start to break down under high heat or wear and tear.
So what if we have plastics in our body, you say? If you take a moment to think about it, these are not just inert plastics that we believe them to be, but some have chemical structure similar to hormones. From
Wikipedia: "...
it mimics estrogen and thus could induce hormonal responses." I know what you must be thinking, that I am being paranoid. After all, many things in our homes are plastic, and we are all jolly well and alive right now. So are our parents! This is what I believe, that chemicals like BPA can accumulation over time; even if it does not wreak havoc on my body, I worry about the effects on my children. When I have children, I will be sure to get them bottles that are free of BPA (as stated in the article, you can find it at Whole Foods).
And you know all those Nalgene bottles that were in the rage because plastic bottles were believed to be harmful to you? Take a look at this website:
Detox Nalgene. I know it is bias against those bottles or the company for that matter, but again it mentions the same chemical - BPA. Enough said.
So what am I going to do now that I know what I choose to believe about BPA? For starters, no more Nalgene bottles for me. I would use those regular plastic water bottles, and change them often. It is true that that may create more waste. The solution would be to recycle those bottles, cutting down on waste. I will be on a lookout for a better alternative in the long run. My other main concern was about plastic food containers which I use to pack my lunch to work. They have been worn, and subjected to intensive microwaving! *
gosh* I am glad to annouce that we have now switched to
pyrex glass bowl containers instead.
In this day, it would be almost impossible to avoid using plastic altogether, and I do not believe in going to that (extreme) extend. Perhaps it would be more sensible to change the plastic containers regularly, since wear and tear could will eventually cause the chemicals to leach out. I also realise that we often read articles about how this chemical is bad, and soon after there will a opposing report rejecting the findings. The debate always goes on, just like how it is in research, there are two sides to everything.
So what do you think about this issue? And importantly what are you going to do about it? It is now up to you.
The Husby was not so fortunate on V-day, because I was running out of ideas of what to buy. The only item I had was this cute card which I just had to get it when I saw it. Yes, Husby, I am very glad we took the plunge! 
