BPA in seat fabric, health risk?

[wesly]

Has Nissan address the potential health risk of Nissan Leaf's seat fabric that is being made from recycled water bottles? Are they using only BPA-free water bottles or do they actively remove BPA during the recycling process? I have not seem any discussion regarding this subject on here or on the Internet in general and it just seemed strange no one has asked this question yet since recent studies have raised some serious concern about the risk of BPA. I understand that we are probably not going to eat or drink right off the car seats, but with heat, small amount of BPA can be released as vapor and when you consider how long you spend enclosed inside the car everyday. The length and amount of exposure is quite enormous over time, 2 hrs a day, over 700+ hours a year. I am especially concern with the effect on my two daughters (5 and 3).

 

[AndyH]

The water bottles connected with BPA are the 'hard plastic' bottles people often buy to carry to the gym - wide-mouth 'nalgene-type' bottles. These have recycle code "7" on the bottle and are made from polycarbonate.

The water bottles recycled into things like the Leaf seats are made from recycle code "1" plastic - PET - this is not a plastic that contains BPA.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321

Number 1 Plastics
PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)
Found in: Soft drink, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; ovenable food trays.
Recycling: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs.
Recycled into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, (occasionally) new containers

PET plastic is the most common for single-use bottled beverages, because it is inexpensive, lightweight and easy to recycle. It poses low risk of leaching breakdown products. Recycling rates remain relatively low (around 20%), though the material is in high demand by remanufacturers.

Background:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/bisphenol-a-47091707
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151156.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A
http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/0902.asp

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i would find it hard to believe that your car would be airtight enough to have issues.

have you looked at fumes from ANY other new car?

do you like leather? do you know what chemicals were used to process that leather? "they" are carcinogens. but we also have to weigh the level of exposure. it is very minimal.

the issue with drinking water in a bottle with BPA is quite a bit different since the BPA can leech into the water over extended periods of time if exposed to sunlight, etc. (we used to carry extra water bottles in the car to drink just in case. that was a mistake because they would frequently be in there for weeks at a time)

but on fume exposure; the ingestion rate is like less than a fraction of a percent of what would be a very very small amount to begin with.

worry about your new couch first. try me, the exposure level to it is thousands of times higher

 

[PDXLeafer]

So, I guess I shouldn't get 'SBVD' for my license plate after all?!? :lol: