WARNING: Plastic buckets are not safe

[annasdadhockey]

can I panic now?


what about now?


now?

Yes
No
Yes

 

[LBussy]

I suspect the largest exposure to estrogen I've had in my life was in the 80's .... that was a fun decade .....

 

[ThaBrewFather06]

If you are using a crappy bucket from lowes or Home Depot this pertains to you. These plastic fermenters are food grade meaning mention to have liquid in them. They also stand up to like 50% ABV I'm not even a little bit worried about this. Someone earlier said it best. "Look in your cabinets and fridge" plastic has been around for a while if it were not safe we would have heard about it by now.

 

[ThaBrewFather06]

I suspect the largest exposure to estrogen I've had in my life was in the 80's .... that was a fun decade .....

I like it hahaha

 

[pabloj13]

Am I being too paranoid? My friend who works as a birth assistant has seen a huge increase in birth defects, attributed by the doctors at her hospital to endocrine disruptors in our environment.

This is either 1) a lie or 2) indicative of the doctors in her hospital being ridiculously cavalier about things that are most likely based in complete and utter BS.

 

[Yooper]

I suspect the largest exposure to estrogen I've had in my life was in the 80's .... that was a fun decade .....

OMG- was that YOU in 1980 at the Peter Frampton concert, under the bleachers?!?! If so, I'm really sorry about that. I wasn't aiming at you.

 

[Thomas007]

I think it's wise to be skeptical in regards to articles that mention finding "detectable levels" of a scary-sounding substance. There are lots and lots of things that are detectable at much lower levels than toxic ones. There are "detectable" levels of radioactive potassium-40 levels in bananas, for example.

Of course, there are also substances that can kill you in very very small amounts (certain organic mercury compounds, famously). But it's generally a good idea to look closely at these claims.

 

[blueseamonkey]

HA.....this hole time I thought my man ****s were from my homebrew??

Indeed... worrying about trace amounts of synthetic estrogens leeching from the plastic is strange.

Alcohol consumption (anything more than about 1-2 units daily) interferes with liver function, which means testosterone is not removed from the bloodstream as fast. When that excess testosterone reaches fat cells, it gets turned into estrogen which then circulates round the body until it too is broken down (again by the liver so an impaired liver will remove it slower.)

The more alcohol you drink, and the more body fat you have, the more estrogen you will have in your system. This is why heavy drinkers get man ****s and can have fertility problems. Exercise, losing body fat and cutting down on drinking will reverse these changes - unless permanent liver damage has occurred.

While the amount of estrogens in plastics may have a tiny additional effect, its not going to be anywhere near as much as the effect of the alcohol in our beer. I'm all for avoiding heavy metals and other such poisons but I'm not going to switch to brewing in glass - especially not with a small child in the house who loves to "help" on brewdays.

 

[amandabab]

I'm in the glass camp.

I prefer to ferment in glass and SS for a lot of reasons.

but just making crap up about plastic is silly.

 

[olz431]

I have had an a-cup before I started fermenting in plastic. I have however lowered my blood pressure by fermenting in plastic, as well as my foot feels much better now.

 

[slohsandt]

Every type of plastics we use have EDs, from plastic cups to cell phones. They can all effect our offspring or future generations. So I wouldn't worry too much about fermenting in plastic buckets because everything we use that is plastic contains Endocrine Disruptors.

 

[slohsandt]

How can you post this without posting your sources? I'll take my chances with food grade fermenters instead of panicking over unsubstantiated claims from someone who just joined the forum.

For a source just feel free to take any biology/environmental science class in college to find out about EDs.

 

[djt17]

I am not worried...I am only living to 85 anyway; I will be shot by a jealous husband as I am sneaking out the window.

 

[Piratwolf]

Looks like we're missing a potential up-side: will my wife's ****s get bigger too?

 

[temple240]

For a source just feel free to take any biology/environmental science class in college to find out about EDs.

That article never came up in my environmental science classes. My doctor's office has pamphlets about ED, does this qualify as one of your sources?

 

[Clonefan94]

Looks like we're missing a potential up-side: will my wife's ****s get bigger too?

Probably, but you're missing the point, you and your wife will be sitting together on the couch, crying about the excess weight gain, instead of enjoying the larger ****s.

 

[ron,ar]

..And the whole damn world is gonna be made a' styrene. ...

 

[slohsandt]

That article never came up in my environmental science classes. My doctor's office has pamphlets about ED, does this qualify as one of your sources?

Obvious troll is obvious....maybe you should have either paid attention in class or taken a class within the last 3 years

 

[temple240]

Obvious troll is obvious....maybe you should have either paid attention in class or taken a class within the last 3 years

Zbouri? Did you really make two usernames to troll a homebrew forum?

 

[BobbiLynn]

I just drank a beer brewed in plastic... Am I going to die?

 

[AnOldUR]

I just drank a beer brewed in plastic... Am I going to die?

Yes.



Your husband shoots you when he finds you sleeping with your brew partner.

 

[BobbiLynn]

Yes.



Your husband shoots you when he finds you sleeping with your brew partner.

Not even sure how he found out about that. Death is imminent.

 

[slohsandt]

Zbouri? Did you really make two usernames to troll a homebrew forum?

Do you even know what you are talking about and who the hell is Zbouri? Lol

 

[lumpher]

step away from this thread with your hands on your beer mug.!!! do it NOW!!!

 

[slohsandt]

http://www.epa.gov/endocrine/

 

[GeorgiaTiger]

But if you let an actively fermenting alcoholic beverage sit in ANY plastic bucket for a week, it is quite likely you will be drinking estrogen-mimicking plastics.

Kinda like drinking a Zima

 

[richlong8020]

Well considering margarine is chemically one molecule away from being plastic, do I have to stop eating that too.

 

[thadius856]

Well considering margarine is chemically one molecule away from being plastic, do I have to stop eating that too.

Don't stop eating margarine because it's almost plastic. Stop eating margarine because butter tastes so ****ing much better. Pony up the extra $2 a month.

Support farmers. Support cows. Support taste.(C)(TM)(R)

 

[brewguyver]

So, still no link to the study. I smell a troll.

At the least it's dredging up an oft debated topic.

Let's talk about the dangers of glass...

I think he works for Chewlies, and he's stirring up this anti-bucket sentiment so that people brew less and buy gum more.

 

[Puddlethumper]

Yup! Paranoia strikes the brewing world!


Crap, guys! I've worked with pesticides professionally for 40 damn years and I've been watching the government check and double check and triple check everything we or the manufacturers do. And there's not one thing made or sold in this country that doesn't have some government agency checking to make sure it is absolutely safe. You got any idea how many billions of dollars are spent by the government and by the manufacturers trying to make sure idiots like you and me can live in a cocoon of complete safety guaranteed by the US government (funded by he US taxpayer) ? What always seems to stir the pot is some group of out-of-work Berkeley grads using their degrees to leverage some credibility. And believe me, these clowns are usually far less concerned with honest science than they are with getting some attention and government money.

Like a previous poster said, I'm a heck of a lot more concerned about hurting my back lifting a 55# glass carboy than I am worried about plastic buckets. If there ends up actually being some for-real issue with these buckets you can bet your bippy that there will be a bunch of ambulance-chasing vultures with law degrees making the manufacturers sorry they made the things. (And I don't suppose the manufacturers are aware of that right now?).