People-powered science: Send your bottle caps for toxics testing

Bottle cap liners are used to form a seal against the bottle rim. And testing has found that many of these liners contain toxic chemicals called phthalates. The caps may leave phthalate residue on the bottle rim before you take a sip.

Our partners in the Toxic-Free Food campaign are running a people-powered science project. You send in your caps then, in a few months, they’ll publish the test results in a report naming the best- and worst-performing beverage brands. If your favorite drink comes with a toxic bottle cap, you’ll get the tools to reach out to the company and demand that they switch to toxic-free caps. Have a child who’s learning at home? This is a great project to learn about what’s in the products and packaging we buy and how consumers can demand change.

Phthalates are potent hormone disruptors. Recently, The New York Times detailed the link between phthalates and infertility. Studies have also found that children who were exposed to higher phthalate levels in the womb are at greater risk of ADHD. And boys born to mothers with greater phthalate exposure had altered genital development. Many studies have also shown a relationship between phthalate exposure and asthma. These chemicals don’t belong in our homes, especially not in the packaging of our favorite beverages!

CONTINUE READING ON saferchemicals.org