Royal Purple

Issue date: 5/7/08 Section: Lifestyle

Media Credit: Alison Wisneski Taryn Johnson, like many other students, frequently reuses water bottles.

Media Credit: Alison Wisneski Reusable water bottles are convenient and portable, but the bottles sold at Willy's Hawkshop are labeled 7, one of the categories under suspicion.

The latest research suggests that students should be wary about which plastic water bottles they drink out of. The dangerous chemical bisphenol A can be found in water bottles sold across campus, including Willy's Hawkshop in the University Center.

Bisphenol A is a molecular monomer (simplest molecular structure in the structure of a larger molecule) that is polymerized (bonded in a continuous chain) to produce many of the plastics we use everyday, including plastic bottles, dental sealants, baby bottles, and many other widely used plastics. For many years BPA was considered harmless, but the latest research suggests that exposure to BPA can be dangerous. A research group funded by the American Plastics Council at Harvard University was the catalyst of the widespread use of BPA. This corporate-funded research group concluded after a two and a half year delay, that low-dose exposure to BPA did not constitute a significant risk, according to Frederick S. vom Saal and Claude Hughes in an article published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Since then, more than 115 independent, in vivo studies have been conducted that all conclude otherwise. The latest research suggests that exposure levels below the previously thought of safe limit can disrupt the endocrine system, disrupt cell function, mutate genes, stop cell reproduction, and even hinder testosterone synthesis in males, according to vom Saal and Hughes.

"Our current conclusion, that widespread exposure to BPA poses a threat to human health, directly contradicts several recent reports from individuals or groups associated with or funded by chemical corporations," wrote Saal and Hughes.

The problem results when the bonded BPA molecules that constitute the plastic become dissociated and released. The release of BPA is increased by exposure to heat, acidic or basic liquids, and prolonged use that leads to the deterioration of the polymer structure.

Therefore, washing plastic bottles in hot water and reusing them is not recommended.

A recent study showed that 95 percent of people tested have detectable amounts of BPA in their urine. Because BPA is metabolized quickly by the human body it is thought that this BPA must come from multiple and consistent sources of exposure, according to Saal and Hughes.

"I heard about that. I've started drinking from an aluminum water bottle," said Angela Ziobro, UW-Whitewater senior.

Although people are catching on to the dangers, many aren't concerned enough to get rid of plastics from their lives just yet.

"I have so many plastic bottles, and I always like to bring my own water bottle wherever I go. I have to start switching over," said senior Ashley Petry.

"I heard it's not healthy [to drink from plastic water bottles.] I don't drink from them often," said junior Scott Hubanks.

The BPA molecule disrupts the endocrine system, which affects brain development and the reproductive system. This puts unborn children especially at risk, according to thegreenguide.com.

The harmful effects of BPA were actually found by accident. In 1998, geneticist Patricia Hunt, Ph.D., noticed that gene mutations in the mouse cells she was studying had shot up from 2 percent to 40 percent. She later traced the cause to the laboratory's use of polycarbonate cages and water bottles that had been washed with a strong detergent. After replacing these with non-polycarbonate plastics, the genes she was studying returned to normal, according to thegreenguide.com.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools