Things I've been meaning to tell you ...

Note to self: If I wait until I have the "perfect" slice of time to write a blog entry [quiet, kid-free, uninterrupted, at least 30 mins.], then I never get around to posting.

Hence, despite the fact that I am smack dab in the middle of multi-tasking, I am determined to share a few things:

(1) A blog I was delighted to find and happy to share with you: Greener Loudoun, written by a Bluemont local who used to work as an Environmental Manager for Loudoun County. He updates regularly on a wide variety on environmental topics -- both local and those relevant everywhere.

(2) More on Bisphenol A [BPA]: I have been blogging about the multiple evils of conventional plastics and I wanted to keep folks updated on info as I found it. These links from Enviroblog, a project of the Environmental Working Group give a helpful overview of the topic:

BPA Cheatsheet

BPA Q&A

I was at a major home goods retailer today to buy some thermal carafes for serving hot coffee. Featured prominently in bright summer colors were all kinds of pitchers and glassware for poolside and backyard entertaining. The vast majority of these were made out of Polycarbonate. Below, is the EWG on this kind of plastic. Please note the last line [emphasis theirs] which brings a whole other problem to light.

Polycarbonate bottles: As the original post mentioned, studies show low levels of BPA leach out of polycarbonate bottles (like Nalgene and other hard, colored water bottles) at room temperature. More BPA leaches when the bottles are filled with hot liquid. Generally these bottles will be marked with recycling number seven. Polycarbonate is hard, translucent or clear plastic.These bottles may be marked with the number 7. If you're going to use a polycarbonate bottle, be aware that it's likely that higher amounts of BPA leach out of older and damaged bottles. Although we recommend that you avoid drinking from polycarbonate bottles, it's important to note that your potential exposure to BPA through canned food is considerably higher.

Our neighbors to the North are a bit ahead of us. In April, Canada became the first country to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles. Immediately after this announcement:

Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he will file a bill to ban BPA from all baby products as well as dental sealants and any bottle or container that holds food and drink. "It's better to be safe than sorry," Schumer said.

A news analyst on NPR this morning noted that it's unlikely that any such legislation will gain much immediate traction in the US because of the economic ramifications of banning BPA. It's in many consumer products and manufacturers do not have a good [for them] alternative readily at hand.

So, for the foreseeable future, we are stuck with it in our bottled water. Does that mean I'll never buy another bottle of Dasani at the 7-11 when I'm running late to little league practice with the kids? No. I did it yesterday, actually. It does mean that I am doing my best to limit my family's exposure. I would add that if you are buying and using conventional water bottles this summer -- try to avoid letting the bottles get overheated. There is evidence that more BPA leaches out at higher temps. So if you have a 36 ct pack of bottled water sitting in your garage or the trunk of your car, well, at this point, I probably wouldn't let my kids drink it. [Nor my 80+ year old grandma.]

Well, I have more to share, but the baby is soaked from splashing in backyard puddles, and my pygmy goats are trying to get in the house by climbing in my open dining room windows. Yes. Really.

until later...

ETA: This NYT article is another good overview of the BPA issue.