“Exposure to BPA is a concern because of possible health effects of BPA on the brain and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.”
The worlds’ yearly plastic production is 300 Million tons of which only 14% are recycled!
A lot of the unrecycled materials gets into oceans, lakes, and rivers and finally – as microplastics – into our food chain and drinking water.
Individual countries, cities and supermarket chains already started to ban plastic bags and straws. Some places like San Francisco and Toronto started to stop using plastic bottles for drinking water and carbonated drinks. This trend is unstoppable and growing. But what about microplastics which already floats in the oceans and rivers?
Based on definition, microplastics are smaller than 5mm in size.
Regardless of its tiny size, researchers successfully found microplastics in the ice of the arctic, and millions of tons of microplastic in the Atlantic. In the upper water layers of the first 200 meters alone, there are an estimated12 to 21 million tons of waste. (According to researchers at the National Oceanography Center (NOC) in Great Britain and published in the journal Nature Communications)
So far it is not clear how and whether microplastics are harmful to humans. “It could be that we eliminate it again, but the research is still in its infancy,” says the expert.
On the other hand, it is unhealthy if other substances are added to the plastic, such as bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Some research has shown that BPA can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with BPA. Exposure to BPA is a concern because of possible health effects of BPA on the brain and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.
In January 2011, the European Commission prohibited the use of BPA in the manufacture of polycarbonate infant feeding bottles. In February 2018, the EU introduced stricter limits on BPA in food contact materials, derived from the temporary tolerable daily intake set by EFSA in 2015. Until today, BPA is still found in the coating of food cans, beverage cans and many other plastic products. In addition, the tiny plastic particles react like a magnet to pollutants and bind pesticides and other environmental toxins.
It can take generations before we have sustainable solutions and master this challenge. In the meantime, it is easier, safer, and cheaper to protect ourselves as much as possible from microplastics and industrial chemical in drinking water. SWISSPRO ® drinking water systems are equipped with extruded activated carbon filters and 0.2micron ceramic filters. These rid our drinking water of pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria etc ……and of course, microplastics.
