Healthy: ‘Polycarbonate bottles are harmful’

Friday, December 26, 2008

‘Polycarbonate bottles are harmful’


Wednesday December 24, 2008

By WINNIE YEOH

POLYCARBONATE water bottles are harmful and their usage could be linked to some health abnormalities, said Penang Consumers Association (CAP) president S.M. Mohamed Idris.

He said polycarbonate-made water bottles would leach out bisphenol A (BPA), a potent hormone disrupter which could have detrimental effects on the future generation.

“BPA is a synthetic chemical that is also known as ‘environmental hormones’. It can disrupt the hormone-secreting glands that form a network known as the endocrine system. This system includes the thyroid, pituitary, pancreas, thymus, adrenal, ovaries and testical glands.

“The chemical can lead to the impairment of the reproductive organs, has adverse effects on tu-mours and prostate development by reducing sperm count. It also has an adverse influence on the breast cancer tissue development,” he told a press conference yesterday.

He said the bottles could be identified with the number “7” within a triangle with the letters “PC” beside it.

“The bottles are being sold everywhere and people think they are safe as they can withstand high temperature liquids.

“But researchers have found out that BPA can leach in the bottle contents through normal wear and tear as well as exposure to heat and cleaning agents,” he said.

Mohamed Idris claimed that a University of Missouri study showed that BPA could even leach into liquids at room temperature.

He said: “This finding is alarming and I urge the Education Ministry and parents to ban the use of the bottles in schools.

“The public should also refrain from using polycarbonate or any other plastic bottles.”
He said a steel or glass bottle was preferred and it cost about the same as a polycarbonate bottle.

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