Save Your Health – Skip the Bamboo Coffee Cup

German consumer organization finds high levels of melamine and formaldehyde migration from re-useable bamboo-based cups, condemns misleading labeling advertising them as recyclable and eco-friendly.

Looking for environmental friendly options as an alternative to paper coffee cups? Buyers are generally given the impression that they are buying natural product when purchasing and reusing a bamboo mug. With this description found easily on Amazon Prime ” BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Made from Biodegradable and Naturally Organic Bamboo fiber.”, producers gloss over the fact that the cups are made from a powder of finely-ground bamboo fibers that are then glued together. 
The glue is toxic!

All of the cups tested by a German consumer watch group contained melamine resin, a kind of plasticky glue made from formaldehyde and melamine. Melamine is suspected of causing damage to the bladder and kidneys, while formaldehyde is a known irritant and can even cause cancer if inhaled.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recently classified melamine as being “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (FPF reported).

Even more shocking is that the cups, sold for ‘hot drinks’ actually deteriorate over time and release the toxins in higher quantities. With each cup of Joe you pour your risk of ingesting toxic chemicals increases. Until they make an environmentally friendly AND safe coffee mug, we recommend you save your health – skip the bamboo mug.

RESOURCES:

https://www.test.de/Bambusbecher-im-Test-Die-meisten-setzen-hohe-Mengen-an-Schadstoffen-frei-5496265-0/

Re-useable bamboo cups tested and criticized

https://labdoor.com/article/melamine-an-in-depth-look-at-the-toxic-chemical-in-our-kitchen