I have read lately about a cancer causing chemical called BPA in baby bottles and water bottles. These articles say that epoxy also includes this chemical. Is putting an epoxy lining in my pipes safe for me and my children?

-Jordan

Jordan, bisphenol-A (BPA) is the chemical you’re referring to. Testing has suggested that BPA in polycarbonate plastic bottles can leach into liquids held in them, posing a health risk. Recently Canadian authorities have taken steps to ban the sale of baby bottles made with polycarbonate and some retail outlets in the US and Canada have removed or plan to remove polycarbonate baby bottles and sports water bottles from their shelves.

Unlike polycarbonate bottles, epoxies like CuraFlo’s CuraPoxy^® which is used as a barrier coating in potable (drinking) water pipes, are certified to ANSI/NSF Standard 61 (the established governmental safety standard for drinking water system components), which ensures the product is free of unsafe levels of contaminants such as BPA.

While epoxy products are based on BPA, epoxy and polycarbonate products have vastly different chemical compositions. Unlike polycarbonate bottles, epoxies such as CuraFlo’s CuraPoxy can’t degrade to produce BPA contamination. The chemical bonds in polycarbonates are very different from those in epoxy resins. While bisphenol-A is a ‘base’ chemical used to manufacture both polycarbonates and epoxies, a polycarbonate plastic, under the right conditions, can degrade to produce BPA that can end up in liquids contained in polycarbonate bottles. In contrast, CuraPoxy (and other epoxies) will not revert back to BPA.

–Dr. Dave