The flashpoint for this sudden concern surrounding the safety of drinking water out of bottles made of
Lexan is a published report in the April 2003 issue of Current Biology by Dr. Patricia Hunt, a geneticist
at CaseWestern Reserve University in Cleveland. As a result of a worker accidentally washing polycarbonate
mouse cages with a very harsh detergent, chromosomal abnormalities that were normally found
in only 1 percent to 2 percent of mouse eggs prior to the washing spiked to 40 percent. The cause was
Bisphenol-A (BPA) which is a known endocrine disruptor that mimics the hormone estrogen. The BPA
leached from the polycarbonate. For humans not living in mouse cages, food-grade polycarbonate is
what those clear and sometimes now colorful water bottles are made of that
are widely sold these days
not just at outdoor shops, but also at health clubs and at chic coffee houses.
More study is needed to determine if even the POTENTIAL of risk to the human reproductive system
exists. So far what we do know is that high heat and detergents with high alkalinity (conditions you
would find in a dishwasher for example) as well as cleaning with bleach can accelerate the deterioration
of polycarbonate. And since GSI has, in order to address a spider cracking issue in wine and other plastic
glasses, been advising consumers to hand wash and use mild detergent only, SNEWS would still feel
it prudent to begin
advising consumers to do the same for all polycarbonate bottles and food containers
hand wash, mild detergent.
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