SIGG has posted a number of files with test results of their old and new liners, along with several other types of reusable bottles. The main points are:
* Old liners contained “trace amounts” of BPA but have been tested to be non-leaching, which is pretty good news. PDF files of the test results are here and here.
* I asked Steve Wasik, CEO at SIGG, whether phthalates were present in the old bottles:
“According to the Test Report of the Institute Nehring in Germany (STST17-047), there are no Phthalates, BADGE, BFDGE and other Phthtalates [sic]– all are checked. Not checked is NOGE. The NOGE test was not done apparently because nobody was [...]
Update: Info on SIGG and BPA
Misled by SIGG – Bottles contain BPA
How disappointing to learn that SIGG bottle liners have contained bisphenol-A (BPA) all along – up until August of last year, when the company debuted their new BPA-free eco-liner.
CEO Steve Wasik has posted a “bulletin” finally letting us in on the secret. Meanwhile suspicions about BPA’s adverse effects (I first heard of them in 2003) have been confirmed with controlled studies. Or as Steve puts it so casually, “The BPA conversation has changed in the last 12 months.”
I’ve owned a dozen SIGG bottles in all sizes and designs – all in the name of keeping BPA out of my kids’ bodies. The early warnings about BPA indicated this was something [...]
Piggy Paint – A treat for your little diva
Ever since sandal season started, The Girl has been asking to paint her nails. Since I’m notoriously picky when it comes chemicals and kids, I’d been dragging my feet on the pedicure of her dreams.
Although many nail polish formulations are now “Big 3 Free” (i.e.,no formaldehyde, toluene, DBP/pthalates), other unsafe ingredients remain fairly common in grown-up nail-polishes: acetone and other solvents, benzophenone-3/oxybenzone (also used in some chemical sunscreens), aluminum powder, and metal-based artificial colors.
When her birthday rolled around, I was happy to try out Piggy Paints – a new nail polish for kids that’s “as pure as mud” – all the fun without the smelly chemicals. Piggy Paint is an [...]
Lead (still) in garden hoses
The other day I stopped at the hardware store to buy a garden hose. This should have been a 5-minute trip, but have you ever been garden hose shopping? There was an entire aisle of them. Blue ones, gray, white, and all shades of green. And lengths and special features, like non-kinking… Who knew?!
Confounded over the myriad choices, I came to a few smaller, white hoses; I’d never seen a white hose in anyone’s garden before. The label announced that the hose was “lead-free” and “safe for drinking water.” So does that mean the others aren’t? It seems the white hoses are made for people who own boats and RVs [...]
Back to school with PlanetBox
My little munchkin will be off to kindergarten in September, and she asks about it every other day. In her excitement to eat lunch at school, she’s already tested out her PlanetBox – a surprisingly fun and stylish stainless-steel lunch tray.
I’ve been trying to purge plastic from our kitchen due to concerns about BPA and other potentially harmful chemical effects, so PlanetBox couldn’t have landed at a better time. In addition to being a safe and eco-friendly part of a no-waste lunch, the ‘Box has some other nice things going for it.
First, the inside reminds me of a TV dinner tray. (I wonder, do TV dinners even exist anymore?) [...]
Sun Science “Organic” SPF 30 – but is it really?
Earlier I blogged about some safe sunscreens based on the results of the EWG sunscreen report. I purchased some Sun Science Organic Daily Wear SPF 30 due to its “recommended” profile and a quick review of the posted ingredients. However, on receiving the product, I saw that methylparaben and propylparaben (suspected hormone disruptors) are used as preservatives – though parabens aren’t listed in the EWG profile for this sunscreen. I can only guess there was a change in the formulation, or that someone provided an incomplete ingredient list to EWG.
Unlike the other sunscreens we’ve tried, Sun Science incorporates a number of mostly safe but unnatural-sounding chemicals (including PEG-100 and acrylates) [...]
How green is your milk?
Over the years, I’ve found myself working my way up from the bottom of the “Hierarchy of Milk.” From best to worst in terms of what’s healthy for humans, humane for animals, and good for the environment:
1. Raw organic milk
2. Organic pasteurized milk
3. Organic ultra-pasteurized milk or no-rBST pasteurized milk
( I think these are pretty close – organic is much better for the environment, but the ultra-pasteurization reduces the nutritional potency as a food)
4. No-rBST ultra-pasteurized milk
5. Conventional pasterurized or ultra-pasteurized milk
Since having kids, we’ve been buying organic milk exclusively – both pasteurized and raw – celebrating the progress that organic farms have made, as well as sharing the disappointment [...]
More safe sunscreens: Soléo, Keys Solar Rx
Soléo Organics SPF 30 is another EWG-rated sunscreen I’ve been trying out this summer. It comes in a green tube and lists zinc-oxide (22.3%) as its active ingredient. The other main ingredients are grapeseed oil and sunflower oil, which kind of puts the “oleo” in Soléo.
Named one of ELLE magazine’s “top organic makeup, skincare, and hair products,” Soléo spreads easily but leaves a greasy film that takes my skin a couple minutes to absorb. But since I have dry skin, the high oil content isn’t a big problem, and I’m happy to say that it doesn’t seem to make me break out.
Although it contains a tiny amount of chamomile oil, [...]
Safe Sunscreens, EWG, and Badger
As if it’s not enough to remember to put on sunscreen every morning… Now we know that chemicals found in some sunscreens – including major brands such as Neutrogena, Banana Boat, and Coppertone – contain chemical agents that can disrupt hormones and potentially cause cancer.
Sunscreens are a product worth thinking twice about because we rely on them daily and rub them over large areas of our body. (My favorite shampoo contains parabens, but I try to rinse well and don’t use it daily. Still looking for a natural solution…)
The sunscreen currently at the #1 spot on the Environmental Working Group’s guide to sunscreens is Badger SPF 30, a natural zinc-based [...]
Another reason to filter the tap water
Seems that medications in that we put in our bodies (and into the sewage system) are coming back in our tap water. Among others, estrogen from oral contraceptives can affect many animal species, even in very small amounts. Read more here from Scientific American.
Earlier today I read Envirothink’s post about cancer in sea lions exposed to PCBs and think that environmental toxins are going to be a growing health concern as it becomes more clear to us how life on earth is affected by chemical pollutants.
Heading to the garage now to check on our water filters and wondering if we should think about getting (a much costlier) reverse-osmosis system…
0