Are plastic cups poisonous?

Hey Mr. Green,
Given the recent concerns about the chemical bisphenol A in plastic containers, I wonder if my plastic cups are safe. I notice that some companies are now advertising BPA-free ones. So do those we now have contain BPA?--Judy in Hendersonville, North Carolina

Scientists have uncovered possible links between BPA (an endocrine disruptor) and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer, genital abnormalities, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, early puberty in girls, and harm to wildlife. My immediate reaction: Shun any substance even remotely suspected of producing hyper eight-year-old adolescents or of turning male fish into females.

Some scientists believe BPA can disrupt biological development, so they warn that children and pregnant women in particular should avoid exposure. Besides concern about the compound in plastic baby bottles and other containers, BPA may also exceed safe levels in some canned food and beverages. Predictably, the chemical and food industries counter with studies showing that BPA is harmless. Opponents reply that the 200-plus research papers implicating the substance are more reliable, since the industry largely funded its own studies.

As you note, some companies have stopped selling cups and bottles containing BPA. Nalgene, whose popular bottles caused a furor, has phased out its use of BPA, even while contending that it's safe. General Mills makes the same claim, though it has eliminated BPA from its canned Muir Glen products.
As for your cups, if they're opaque, they're probably OK. The clear shatterproof kind and those with the number 7 recycling label on the bottom are most suspect.

We'll have to wait a while for the full story, however. The EPA has announced new studies, while the National Institutes of Health has initiated a $30 million research effort, scheduled for completion late next year.

Comments

[Robert Herst]

I have to think plastic cups are better than Styrofoam cups but if plastic cups are toxic, what about plastic bottles?

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[Charmn Goldie]

Yea...what about plastic bottles? Also, what about 'disposable' tupperware that is 'microwave safe?'

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[David]

Well I'm not sure about the toxicity of plastic bottles or of plastic cups, but the Brita commercials about plastic bottles really hit home for me. Wife wife and I got into a little argument over it so in order to convince her to see my point I collected all the plastic bottles for a month and stored them in the garage. One day when she wasn't home I put them in the bathroom and shut the door. When she opened it she got buried. Needless to say I slept on the sofa that night but she thinks twice about bottled water now.

Granted its cheap (we can get 24 bottles for $3.99) and it got us drinking more water vs soda, but all that plastic really does add up.

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Hey Mr. Green, genistein, one of the fine phytoestrogens in soy products, changes the sex of fish too. Let us all know when you are going to give up soy!!

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[Regan Marye]

Hey, Robert! Plastic bottles are toxic too. That's why you have to dispose them after. But if you worry about how much garbage they can cause, well worry not. Now, green advocates in Jacksonville, FL and others around the world use it as materials for building houses and classrooms. Through the help of SEO and online marketing, the word spreads all over the world that others find other ways to recycle it. Others use it as green light. And if you want to learn more about it, try Googling about it.

[Diet For Fatty Liver]

This is a tough one for me. I really like drinking bottled water and always recycle the containers, but I've heard all sorts of stories about poisons and chemicals leaking out of the plastic into the water over time. I don't know who to believe.

DJ

[Tim]

There is not enough recycling in the world. Too many item are being dumped. So much harm the world. But we can make changes no matter how small.

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What aan interesting post! I certainly love your article because I'd learned a lot of information. I think plastic cups are poisonous because you never know if its already free from chemicals where it is formed.

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I have been seeing more and more on the poison in plastic recently. Good post!

[Phlebotomy Training]

Isn't plastic cups harder to dispose of than styrofoam?

Myself I like styrofoam as it keeps drinks colder longer..

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Well, I have my chocolate milkshake in a plastic cup, and like an idiot I put it in the microwave to warm it up. Then I drink it. It tasted slightly strange and I've noticed that it's slimy around the edges. Does plastic melt at those temps? Or do something that might cause this to happen? I really wanna finish my milkshake, but if I can't finish this one I'll just get another, I guess :( I was about to say in a glass, but maybe a mug or bowl would be better...