BPA in Mylar Food Bags ? Setting the Record Straight
Concern over BPA in drink and food-storage containers is growing. With suggestions that it may have serious health consequences, consumers should understand BPA and how to avoid it. This article will explain where BPA comes from, what it does, and why it shouldn’t change your mylar food-storage plans.
BPA is Everywhere, and Nobody Knows the Extent of Its Health Effects
BPA, or bisphenol A, is a chemical compound that often contributes to plastic manufacturing. It consists of phenols and acetone that a strong acid has catalyzed. Complex science aside, it is very cheap to produce, and manufacturers will likely put out 10 million tons in 2022.
About 65%-70% of BPA contributes to polycarbonate plastics infamously used in water bottles and many other consumer products. In addition, 25%-30% of BPA goes toward making epoxy and vinyl resins. Epoxy resins coat the inside of food storage and drink cans to prevent acids in the contents from corroding the metal and spoiling the food or drink.
There is vast, omnipresent exposure to BPA in modern societies, and the health effects are hotly debated. As of early 2022, over 16,000 scientific studies have been conducted on the health effects of BPA. None of them have been conclusive, but scientists have shown that BPA operates as a xenoestrogen and can potentially disrupt the human endocrine system.
These health effects are very weak, and most government agencies have found them below tolerable levels, so there are no widespread bans. However, 12 U.S. states and Washington D.C. have limited restrictions on BPA, including bans on BPA in baby bottles. These restrictions are preventive, but people and governments are wary that BPA may have more unknown health effects.
Mylar Bags Have No BPA
Mylar food storage bags are made of biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate or boPET. Manufacturers melt PET into a film and stretch it along 2 axes (hence "biaxially"), then cook it at 200 degrees Celsius to lock the molecular structure. The result is a super-smooth film that they treat with silicon dioxide to prevent intolerable sticking – think Saran Wrap.
Food-storage boPET is metalized with aluminum vapor. Aluminization makes it impermeable to gasses and reflects over 99% of light. In addition, bag manufacturers coat the inside of boPET bags with more polyethylene (PE). The PE coating improves puncture resistance and makes them easier to heat seal. Throughout the entire manufacturing process, there is no phenol and no acetone. Therefore, the FDA and other health and safety agencies certify mylar food storage bags as 100% BPA-free.
Mylar Is Inert and Has No Toxins
Many people are still concerned about the health implications of plastic compounds and wonder whether anything else in mylar bags could be dangerous. However, scientists have studied boPET extensively, and there are no known disruptive endocrine effects in animals or humans – that is, mylar has nothing in it that presents the same issues as BPA.
Furthermore, mylar bags have no dioxins or phthalates. Dioxins are associated with higher cancer rates, and phthalates are endocrine disruptors, like BPA. Dioxins require chlorine, and chlorine appears nowhere in the manufacture of mylar. Likewise, phthalates are chemically different from terephthalate, and the latter poses no health risk.
Mylar Bags Are BPA-Free and 100% Safe
Concern over BPA exposure is reasonable. Luckily, mylar food storage bags are 100% BPA-free. Furthermore, they contain no other dangerous materials commonly found in plastics. Mylar bags are inert – they don't react with the contents stored inside. Therefore, they provide the perfect, safe way to keep light, moisture, and gasses away from your food for decades.
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