CHEMICAL FREE

Are supposedly ‘cleaner’ products worth buying?

This week: Bobble BPA, Phthalates and PVC Free Filtered Water Bottle, £8.99, Amazon THE plastic used to make these bottles is free of bisphenol A or BPA, a compound used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break.

Animal trials have shown that BPA can disrupt reproduction and cause abnormalities, and some epidemiological studies have suggested human effects, for example raised testosterone in men, although others have not found any link.

Bisphenol A — a so-called endocrine disruptor — has attracted particular concern in relation to its use in food and drink containers, because the chemical may leach into the contents and then be swallowed. It is used to make refillable, water bottles popular in sport, rather than the flimsier, single-use bottles.

‘BPA is a plasticiser and to get clear plastic you would have to have some kind of similar ingredient present,’ says Paul Fowler, professor of translational medical sciences at the University of Aberdeen, who researches endocrine disruptors.

‘There are replacements, such as bisphenol S and bisphenol 5, about which we know even less, although there is some indication that these may have endocrine-disrupting activity,’ he adds. The makers of Bobble bottles say they don’t expect the presence of any bisphenols in their bottles’ materials, including BPA and BPS. Some experts advise against extensively re-using any plastic water bottles, even BPA-free ones, or using them in hot conditions because heating plastic raises the risk of leaching.

Professor Fowler says he avoids plastic water bottles and simply drinks tap water from a glass. ‘If walking in the country, then a stainless-steel water bottle seems sensible,’ he adds.