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Like I say, I have no idea how kegs would stand up to salt ...
But the quality of of the metal is excellent -- I've never seen rust on a keg, and, frankly, these things are not babied (and I've handled dozens -- former restaurant worker). I've seen SS pots and pans rust, but never kegs.
Jason
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This is an excerpt from a NYC newspaper. It highlights the suspected effect of BPA on women who are pregnant, infants and humans in general. It seems appropriate to this thread. It does not seem like too much of a stretch to assume that it might effect the sperm and eggs of other creatures.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, found in common plastics, study:
The latest study to tie BPA to adverse effects on humans, this one followed 249 pregnant women, according to HealthDay.
When the data was split by sex, the researchers saw that in the girls, higher BPA levels were linked to “externalizing behaviors” like hyperactivity and aggression. The study was published in the online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives.
BPA is found in plastics such as water bottles, food containers, infant bottles and medical devices, and it’s also found in the lining of canned foods.
When BPA leaches into foods and drinks from containers, people are exposed, according to the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, as reported in HealthDay.
About 93 percent of people in the U.S. have detectable levels of BPA in their urine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Animal studies have linked BPA to adverse effects on the developing brains of fetuses and newborns, according to HealthDay.
BPA is a toxicant, explains Braun, but not in the same way as tobacco smoke.
The study’s conclusions were questioned by Steven Hentges, executive director of the polycarbonate/BPA global group at the American Chemical Council, according to HealthDay.
The study results may indicate a need to reduce BPA exposures during pregnancy, according to Dr. Bruce Lanphear, professor of children’s environmental health in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University and senior author of the study.
“Canada has banned BPA in baby bottles and other baby products, but that might not be sufficient to protect children,” he wrote in a statement issued by the Gillings School of Global Public Health. “Although this is the first study of its kind, it suggests that we may also need to reduce exposures during pregnancy.”
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| just found this on abc news. http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3450831&page=1 A report published online last week by the journal Reproductive Toxicology warned that a chemical used to make a wide variety of plastic goods, including most baby bottles, may not be safe. It's called bisphenol-A, or BPA. Tests involving lab rats and mice have shown that even small amounts of exposure to BPA can lead to a range of serious ailments, says professor Frederick vom Saal, a biologist at the University of Missouri who authored the report. "Very low doses [of BPA] — below the amounts that are present in humans — when, particularly, exposure occurs in fetuses and newborns, you end up with those babies eventually developing prostate cancer, breast cancer. They become hyperactive. They show learning impairment. It's a poster chemical for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," vom Saal said. scary,
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| In 1998 Rubbermaid was purchased by Newell, creating a new company Newell Rubbermaid. In 2003 Newell Rubbermaid announced plans to phase out the Wooster, Ohio Rubbermaid plant. In November 2003 the Wooster, Ohio plant was severely damaged by a tornado, thus accelerating the close of the plant. The article I found on the plant closure stated:"Rubbermaid Home Organization Products division will eliminate items that represent 70 percent of the Wooster plant production volume. Those items include totes, refuse cans and clear storage containers." This would seem to imply that many of the Rubbermaid products we use have changed manufacturing facilities in early 2004. http://www.newsnet5.com/money/2692399/detail.html
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You all have been doing some amazing background work and providing a lot of insight. Intriguing enough that I am going to call Rubbermaid and discuss this with them and see if I might get some firsthand information.
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Eric Borneman
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| Hi, I quickly skimmed the posts in this thread but did not see anything that indicated that these brute trash cans could be lined with something like trash bags. I have lined a dirty trash can with a liner before but that was just to store rock for a short while and felt like that was better than scrubbing the trash can with harsh chemicals. I know that all plactics have some water absorbion rates and would assume that water isn't the only thing being absorbed and I am guessing that is part of the problem also? At any rate is there a liner for these brute trash cans that any of you could recommend? Matt
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Nope - not yet. I am in the process of gathering references and acquiring information. I am going to write about this and hopefully have some suggestions. I will be keeping this thread updated, and hope others continue to do the same as it has been very helpful!
Someone find a plastic chemist!
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Eric Borneman
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Sorry for the dropping the ball. Not much to report, except the bit at the end:
Sorry for the delay. I wrote a suggestion a while ago and lost it in my papers at work. Then I forgot - blame it on old age. My idea was to test polyethylene bags which are not expensive (see US Plastics) and if they work they can be used to line the Brute containers. I would not imagine that the polyethylene contains any bad chemicals since they are used for food storage, but then again, we do not know to what the corals and fish are sensitive. The only thing I can think of that they might add to the polyethylene is a slip additive to aid extrusion. What these are I do not know and their identity is, no doubt, proprietary.
Again, my father primarily sells/distributes research grade polymers, and does some custom synthesis. He is usually asked to provide chemicals that meet certain criteria in terms of purity, stability, and molecular weight, but rarely knows exactly what they will be used for or how they will be modified one they leave his facility. If he did have knowledge (ie.. for custom synthesis work for example) then this would be protected under non-disclosure.
I've also done some reading on BPA, but those Brute trash cans are certainly not made from Polycarbonate like a water bottle so I am not sure that BPA is the culprit. However, it did make me think that any additive could be released into the water column when (like BPA) heat is added. For example, the Brute cans baking in the hot sun, or a heater element resting on the bottom of the brute container could cause additive (or compounds of the plastic) to be released if the heat was excessive.
The liner approach, either bags or a true barrel liner, made out of pure polyethylene (with suspended heat elements) seems to be a smart approach. Looking forward to your reply from Rubbermaid.
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Yep - interesting! Also have this from a news page this morning (reprinted from NY Times).
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/11/08-3
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Eric Borneman
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