Author: Dr. Cora Rivard, state-licensed naturopathic doctor (N.D.) and owner of Seasons Natural Healthcare, LLC in Derry, NH. Dr. Rivard is an expert in natural family healthcare and wellness with a keen interest in preventive care and alternative medicine for women and children, and has been serving patients from all over New England since 2006. She has also worked as a consultant and health writer for several corporations, a New England-based magazine, and a major healthcare insurer’s wellness benefits program.
This subject has been a big ol’ bee in my bonnet for a long time, especially since the Keurig style coffee systems are now ubiquitous. Much focus in recent years has revolved around the studies of potential dangers of BPA, or bisphenol A, but what about the myriad of other chemicals commonly used in plastics, demonstrated to also have damaging effects in the body because of estrogen-mimicking chemicals?
Here is an interesting NPR article and audio concerning how estrogenic chemicals are found in the majority of plastic items found in food and beverage packaging.
NPR article- Most Plastics Leach Estrogen-like Chemicals
The short story is this- plastics are very much a part of our lives, and some have been designated safe for use in food packaging. Their safety profile has been well documented, and only small amounts of plastic chemicals leach into your food or beverages through common use. For storage of non-acidic, cooled food and drink items, contamination levels are minimal and not much to worry about. However, when plastics are exposed to hot water or foods, acidic food ingredients, UV light, mechanical wear and tear, or any combination of these factors- the amount of leaching can increase exponentially by a thousand-fold and more per use. Have you ever tasted water from a bottle left in your car on a hot day? Snack food left for a while in a plastic bag? It tastes bad, like plastic, right? Because that is exactly what you are ingesting.
So, we do our best to avoid re-using old water bottles that begin breaking down, and avoid putting hot beverages and food leftovers into plastic containers (glass, stainless steel and food-safe designated pottery are much better choices.) But now there are K-cups- a fresh cup of plastic, er- I mean coffee, brewed into your cup every day. Hot water temperatures and the acidic foods similar to ground coffee have been documented to spike leaching and chemical contamination to new heights . In studies, common plastic chemicals have been shown to interfere with animal metabolism, promote breast tumor growth in animal and human cells, increase sterility in humans, increase obesity, and other disturbing effects. And these are just the short term use studies, very little is known about the longterm effects of consuming these substances in low doses day in, day out for years and years.
By all means, please enjoy the culinary and health benefits of consuming coffee because there are many, but be selective in the equipment that you use, and demand safety first as a consumer. Your body will thank you.
-02/18/14 Update-
In response to several inquiries, I did some research and found the following link for a stainless steel, reusable/refillable K-Cup device available on Amazon that is highly reviewed (make sure to select the Stainless Steel Elite option):
Ekobrew Stainless Steel Elite Cup, Refillable K-Cup For Keurig K-Cup Brewers
Not only can you choose to bypass the heavy plastic contamination issue, but you can save a lot of money in the long run by not paying more for single use containers.
For those who do not want to give up the convenience of disposable cups, I think the second choice beyond stainless steel would be a single use, paper filter system. This still has a plastic ring at the top to secure it into place, but should not have much, if any, contact with the hot liquid coming through. This is a well-reviewed brand of coffee:
San Francisco Bay Coffee Fog Chaser, 80 OneCup Single Serve Cups
