tim's journal

Vita-mix container

I sent an inquiry to the Vita-mix folks regarding our blender's polycarbonate container after reading a few articles on chemical leaching from polycarbonate materials. A swift response:

Dear Tim:

In response to your inquiry, the polycarbonate container is made from LEXAN and is approved by the FDA.

The information you are referring to is most likely from the vom Saal study. The study has not been replicated in any larger studies and when you do not see the effects, it certainly casts doubt on relying on one study and ignoring the larger ones.

George Pauli, director of the product policy at the US FDA agency said the agency is following the low dose issue and has seen no reason to take any actions addressing the bisphenol A issue. (GE - letter dated /6/8/99)Pauli said that bisphenol A leaches from polycarbonate baby bottles only under exaggerated conditions. If you heat a bottle with heat and liquid long enough, you can reverse the polymerization to a certain extent. He said that the testing conditions used by Consumer Union (see E/E Letter Vol. 5, no. 8 & 5) which included boiling bottles for 30 minutes, are not realistic. Additional information can be found on the American Plastics Council web site at www.plasticsinfo.org

I hope this information helps to identify your concerns. I would suggest not heating the milk in the polycarbonate container if you are concerned about your safety. If you are blending the soy milk in the container until it heats, I would blend the soy milk and then heat it on the stove.

Sincerely,
Sandy Ventimiglia
Customer Service Manager
Vita-Mix Corporation
8615 Usher Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44138-2199
sventimiglia@vitamix.com
1-800-848-2649 ext. 5304