+1 for Technivorm....
I sent my Technivorm back unused for a refund the same day it arrived after noticing how much of its plastic was exposed to hot steam and thus especially vulnerable to toxic bisphenol-a leaching -- and confirming my suspicions by conversing to a technician in the Technivorm U.S. support team who conceded the possibility.
Having done no research on bisphenol-a leaching, are you saying I'm gonna die because I use my Technivorm?
Here's the beginning of an answer to your question, mattquist:
"Health Effects
"Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones and may lead to negative health effects.[15][16][17][18] Early development appears to be the period of greatest sensitivity to its effects.[19] Regulatory bodies have determined safety levels for humans, but those safety levels are currently being questioned or under review as a result of new scientific studies. [20][21]
"In 2009 the The Endocrine Society released a scientific statement expressing concern over current human exposure to BPA.[22]..."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A
Note that BPA is
not present in
most plastics... Polycarbonate is the main offender - especially poorly produced polycarbonate
(sounds like something out of 'Hairspray', don't it? - "Penny Lou Pingleton, you are positively, permanently punished!"). And if you have been using your Technivorm for any length of time, and it actually had plastic originally containing BPA, the leachable BPA has probably already seeped out...
It has been hypothesized that much of the actual human BPA exposure comes from canned foods. Cans with plastic interior coatings may contain BPA, and the canning process heats them up and disperses BPA into foods, especially acidic foods...
And again, the jury is still out on BPA - most studies are using gavaged solutions that would not be experienced in real life unless you were recklessly drinking out of freshly-made polycarbonate at every meal... I certainly wouldn't want my grandkids drinking hot liquids out of polycarbonate (or eating canned spaghetti for that matter), but when you look at the worst reputed effects, they are minimal on mature adults.
