Question from Miemiemuis
At my son’s school they are no longer allowed to use metal-type water bottles for ‘safety reasons.’ I have been looking at CamelBak water bottles that are made of a copolyester polymer called Tritan. It is suppose to be BPA and phthalates free. Does this sound like a safe choice?
Also, I was looking into alternative containers to pack his school lunches and snacks in. I’ve been using #5 plastic containers that I already had in the house. Would you think it is worth switching to pricey stainless steel containers just for the 4 or 5 hours that his food will be in contact with the plastic? Most of his food comes out of plastic containers or packaging any ways because that’s just what it comes in when I buy the bread, crackers, grapes, carrots etc. So it’s already been in contact with plastic. Maybe some other moms have ideas for school lunches and snacks that have no plastic packaging. Thanks! Marie
Debra’s Answer
Here’s a study that shows that Tritan is not an endocrine disruptor: Endocrine disruption potential of monomers used in Eastman TritanTM copolyester.
From reading other websites, it seems that many companies that formerly were using polycarbonate bottle that contained BPA are now switching to Tritan.
Here is a page that lists 10 different materials made by Eastman that are sold as “Tritan” and their MSDS sheets: Eastman Tritan. I looked at the MSDS for the first one and the toxicity was rated “1” which is very low. It’s not “0” which is none.
So unless you know which “Tritan” is being used in the bottle…I only use glass, but schools probably don’t want that either.
Mom’s, what are you packing lunches in that is nontoxic and acceptable to your schools?
This is just my personal opinion, not based on an expert’s advice, but I use plastic containers for myself for small portions that will go in the frig or freezer. Here is my routine: I wash the container, even if it is clean and previously washed, dry it and then put it in the frig so it won’t outgas, and then I put chilled food into the chilled container and store it in the frig or freezer. I realize your son’s snacks will eventually warm up to room temperature, but seems to me this will at least minimizes the impact of the plastic on the food. Whether washing it in hot water and whether letting it sit out with the lid off at air temperature before putting it in the frig would help I don’t know, but are also worth cosidering. You’d probably want to pack the lunch the night before in order to get everything chilled.
I know this is an old post, but could you please direct readers to the updated information you posted later questioning the safety of Tritan?
http://debralynndadd.com/q-a/new-news-on-bpa/