BPA in Plastic Bottles

Recently we’ve been hearing a lot about Bisphenol A (BPA) used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics.  BPA is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic resins, epoxy resins, and other products.

Polycarbonate is used in a wide variety of common products because it possesses a unique balance of toughness, optical clarity, high heat resistance, and excellent electrical resistance.  Because of this toughness it is used in common products including digital media, electrical and electronic equipment, automobiles, and reusable food and drink containers, just to name a few.

BPA is one of the most extensively tested materials in use today. It has been studied and researched and used safely in consumer products for over 40 years. Scientific evidence clearly supports the safety of BPA and provides strong reassurance that there is no basis for human health concerns.

Research studies conclude that the potential human exposure to BPA from polycarbonate plastics is more than 400 times lower than the safe level of set by the E.P.A.  Such a minimal level of exposure poses no known risk to human health.

The USDA, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency all recognize the use of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins for food storage and packaging as safe.  The studies of the potential for BPA to migrate from polycarbonate products into foods and beverages consistently show it is extremely low, generally less than 5 parts per billion under typical use.   At this level, consumers would have to ingest more than 1,300 pounds of food and beverages that were in contact with polycarbonate every day for an entire lifetime to exceed this safe level of BPA that was set by the U.S. EPA.  Conclusively, human exposure to BPA from polycarbonate plastics is minimal and poses no known health risk.

What Do Those Numbers Mean???

Have you ever wondered about those little numbers with the arrows around them, on the bottom of plastic containers? Or, have you read or heard what they reeaallyy mean and wonder what is fact and what is fiction?  Here are the FACTS from American Chemistry Council.

They’re called resin identification codes, and they indicate the type of plastic that an item is made from.  These number are intended to help consumers know whether and how to recycle various plastic products and packages.

In 1988 the plastics industry, through the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. introduced its voluntary resin identification coding system.  A growing number of communities were implementing recycling programs (remember, this was in 1988) in an effort to decrease the volume of waste subject to rising TIPPING fees at landfills.  In some cases, test programs were driven by state-level recycling mandates.

The code system was developed to meet recyclers’  needs while providing manufacturers a consistent, uniform system that could apply nationwide.  Because municipal recycling programs traditionally have targeted packaging (primarily bottles and containers) the resin coding system offered a means of identifying the resin content of bottles and containers commonly found in the residential waste stream.

 Recycling firms have varying standards for the plastics they accept.  Some firms may require that the plastics be sorted by type and separated from other recyclables; some may specify that mixed plastics are acceptable if they are separated from other recyclables; while others may accept all material mixed together.  

Go to americanchemistry.com to see a very detailed chart of product descriptions, their properties, the actual product applications and what products are made with this recycled material.

So, these are the FACTS about the meaning of the numbers on the bottom of those plastic containers that we use for millions of items in our homes and office.

Degradation of Solid Waste

Degradation?  Plastic water bottles won’t degrade in our landfills for thousands of years?

How long does it take for a newspaper to degrade in a landfill?  What about food products like lettuce?

If you said “longer than 40 years,” you would be correct.  Landfills are designed specifically to PREVENT degradation to prevent formation of dangerous and malodorous gases.

Here is the truth about landfill design and solid waste degradation.

Landfill

Like Bottled Water? Sign the Petition.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute has developed a website for those of us who enjoy the convenience and healthy alternative of bottled water.  EnjoyBottledWater.org has an on-line petition that will go to legislators in Washington urging them to leave bottled water alone.

Concerned about Cooler Cleanliness?

Ever wondered how often you should clean your water cooler?  What ingredients should you use to be certain you’ve sanitized your system?

We sell and rent high quality coolers made by Crystal Mountain Water Cooler Corporation.  They have excellent recommendations for sanitization on their website.  We recommend you clean or sanitize about every six months or as often as you feel it is necessary.

Help! I can’t get any water out of my cooler!

We sell and rent Crystal Mountain Water Coolers

Every now and then, we get a call from a frantic W.E.T.*-Head (*Water Enthusiasts Team) saying no water will come out of their cooler.  We know how they feel – we can’t live without our “Life’s Drink,” either!

If this happens to you, here are a few troubleshooting tips.

1. If NO water comes out of either faucet, the water in the reservoir may have frozen.  Unplug the unit and allow the water to thaw.  This may take several hours, so be patient.  Meanwhile, on the back of the cooler, there is a thermostat.  Turn it counter-clockwise about 90°.  AND, be sure your cooler is about 3″ away from the wall.
2. If water comes out of the faucet and slowly dwindles from a stream to a trickle to a drop then stops, your air filter inside the reservoir may have become wet and the bottle is airlocked.
3. take the bottle off the cooler.
4. pull the pin out of the back of the top of the cooler.
5. rotate the top ring about two inches counter-clockwise and lift off the cooler.
6. on the bottom of the top ring there is a silver dollar size air filter cap - pull it off.
7. dry this cap using a paper towel or dish towel.
8. make sure the floating plug inside the air filter moves up and down freely and is not wet.
9. reassemble.
10. Enjoy “Life’s Drink!”

There are excellent instructions AND PHOTOS on the Crystal Mountain Water Cooler Corp website.  Click on the line that says “Cleaning & Sanitisation and Removal and Installation.“  A PDF file will download.  Scroll half way down on page 8 (or page 3 of 12 in the PDF file) under “Removal and Installation.”  Especially see figures 6-1 and 7-1 on page 9 (page 4 of 12 in the PDF file.)

If none of that works, give us a jingle at 512-454-2100 and we’ll come up with something else to try.  Enjoy!

PET Bottles

We’re often asked about the wisdom of reusing those PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles that come with water, carbonated drinks, tea, etc.

We found this interesting post at Snopes.com concerning  the myths surrounding this question: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp.

And this morning I found this regarding PET: http://www.1888pressrelease.com/pet-bottles-are-safe-for-use-and-re-use-pr-105820.html.

There will always be alarmism and paranoia as well as healthy concern over the issue of chemicals in our food packaging.  But shouldn’t this info give us some confidence?

Ban the Bottled Water?

Currently, there is a strong effort to persuade the public to move away from bottled water.  I’m not sure why.  If the idea is to abandon plastic bottles that the water is packaged in because it’s not “green,” why not rise up against plastic bottles no matter what is contained in them?  Why not target Coca-Cola and Pepsi products in plastic?  What about Heinz Ketchup, French’s Mustard, Kraft Miracle Whip?  What about the myriad other food products that are packaged in plastic?

Used water bottles make up only 3 tenths of one percent (0.3%) of refuse going into our landfills, and as recycling efforts continue, that number will go down.  It’s not about the plastic containers.  No clear thinking person can believe that.

If it’s about the private sale of a natural resource, why not push to boycott anyone who uses water to sell?  Some food manufacturers add water (therefore weight) to their products, then sell it to consumers by the pound.  Many juice and other liquid products contain mostly water.

Bottled water sales make up only an infinitesimal fraction of the gross domestic product.  So, it’s not about private sales.  It can’t be.

Our customers, family and friends rave about the value in the purification of our perfectly good (according to the government) municipal drinking water.  They can immediately taste and smell a difference.  I can objectively show that the conductivity of our pure water is significantly lower, thereby proving a significant reduction in impurities and total dissolved solids.

We start with water that has about 200 parts per million total dissolved solids and end up with purified water that has about 0.5 parts per million (or 500 parts per BILLION) total dissolved solids.  Now THAT’S Pure with a capital “P.”

Want to talk more about it?

Spotless Car Detail?

Hey all you car detailers, did you know that because of its lower hardness and lower mineral content, water that has been filtered by the Reverse Osmosis process is often used in car washes during the final vehicle rinse to prevent water spotting on the vehicle?  Reverse Osmosis water also enables the car wash operators to reduce the demands on the vehicle drying equipment such as air blowers.

Want to spend less time and energy drying before those pesky water spots develop?  Try water purified by SunRay Waters.

About Us

 

Austin is the Live Music Capitol of the World, home of the Texas Longhorns, the best Barbeque anywhere, and the delicious, uniquely refreshing taste of SunRay Waters.

Austinites Ray and Ruth Dody founded the original SunRay Waters company on a single premise – that Austin families deserved affordable, great tasting, healthful, purified drinking water. 

That premise is still the foundation for this Austin-based family business that today provides a full range of home and office delivery services, a convenient and economical bring-your-own-bottle dispenser center, an extensive line of hot and cold water dispensers, filtration systems for home and office and decorative accessories. 

We’ll even put your label on our 1/2 liter bottles.

Look for additional, innovative products and services coming this year.