Needless to say, we can't live without drinking water. We also consume water-mixed beverages like coffee, milk, carbonated drinks, juice, tea, energy drinks, etc. Since it's inconvenient to bring glasses, mugs, or big tumblers with you wherever you go to quench your thirst, buying ready-to-drink beverages that come in plastic bottles is easiest. Unfortunately, plastic bottles may contain BPA, which harms human health. But is BPA harmful to our health, or is this just a way for the retail and manufacturing industries to get people to buy their products? Let's find out more about it through this article.

What is BPA?

BPA stands for Bisphenol A, a chemical found in many everyday plastics. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), BPA is not only present in plastic bottles. It's also common in baby bottles, dental fillings and sealants, dental and medical gadgets, safety gear, compact discs, home electronics, and sports equipment. Additionally, you can find it in the epoxy resins used to coat the interior of food and drink cans. That's how widespread the use of BPA is.

How Bad Is BPA, Really?

BPA is not dangerous to the human body when taken in small amounts. However, as it is a component of many ordinary things, including plastic bottles, we inevitably consume it indirectly when necessary. BPA has been around since the 1950s. But when people found out about its destructive effects, the Australian Government announced in June 2010 that major retailers in Australia would phase out BPA-containing polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. After they issued this order, the rest followed suit.

But why does BPA have a bad rep? The Health Insurance Fund of Australia Limited (HIF) says that BPA is known to mess up the endocrine system by acting like the hormone oestrogen. The disruption may cause the following health problems:

• Reproductive disorders
• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Weight gain
• Fetal brain development
• Breast and prostate cancer
• Asthma

Yikes. Therefore, it is essential to avoid using plastic bottles that contain BPA. This chemical is thought to remain in the body for longer than nine hours, increasing the risk of health problems. If you want to avoid this potentially dangerous "guest," look for bottles that don't contain the BPA symbol.

How To Search For BPA-Free Plastic Bottles?

Some manufacturing companies explicitly label their bottles as BPA-free. If not, turn them over and look for a recycling number on the back. A little triangle enclosing the recycling number indicates the kind of plastic the container is composed of. Plastic bottles free from BPA will have one of the numbers 1, 2, or 5 printed on the base. On the other hand, bottles marked with the numbers 3 and 7 on their recycling labels, or the letters "PC," are likely to contain the hormone disruptor bisphenol A.

Cubic Promote Supports The Use Of BPA-Free Plastic Bottles

Here at Cubic Promote, we only offer promotional plastic bottles that don't have BPA. Our plastic drink bottles are customisable and available in different styles and colours. They're reusable, too! So, when you buy promotional plastic bottles from us, you not only show your potential customers that you care for their health, but you also help cut down on the use of single-use plastics.

Reference:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-lingers-in-human-body/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221205#hazards

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-bpa/index.cfm

https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/chemicals/bpa/pages/regulationandmonitor5377.aspx

Author Profile: Charles

Charles is the owner/operator of Cubic Promote. Charles has over 15 years of experience in the promotional product industry, making him an expert on not only the products in our range but also marketing strategy implementation and the industry as a whole. Visit him on LinkedIn.