Toxic Baby Bottles and BPA
The last couple years have seen a lot of research on BPA, and now many researchers are saying we may be using it too much—especially in baby bottles.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used to make plastics clear, cheap, flexible, and heat-resistant. It is often used in baby bottles and formula cans, as well as water bottles, juice bottles, food containers, CDs, DVDs, other electronic equipment, cars, and many other items. It has been FDA approved for 50 years, but because of recent studies the FDA is about to re-evaluate that position.
Parents are unsure if it is really dangerous, and—if it is—confused about why it is still legal. Some companies (Saran and Welch’s, for example) proudly advertise that they are BPA-free. Recent studies and complaints from consumers have brought Wal-mart, Toys-R-Us, Babies-R-Us, Playtex, and Nalgene to announce that they are beginning to eliminate all baby products that contain BPA. Wal-mart plans to be BPA-free by early next year. Canada is banning all baby products that contain BPA.
What are some of the dangers of BPA? It can imitate hormones in your body, usually estrogen, and has caused many problems from brain damage to reproductive disorders in laboratory animals. It was thought that BPA does not leak out of the plastics that it is in, but recent tests have shown that when it is heated to boiling (which happens in your dishwasher) higher amounts of BPA can leave the plastic and get into food.
Non-BPA products are available, though most non-BPA baby bottles cost about four times as much as bottles with BPA. Is it worth the cost? No studies have been done on how much BPA is necessary to harm humans—that would not be ethical—so no one is really sure how dangerous it is. We know it’s bad for mice, though.
Many parents think it’s not worth the risk for their babies, even though babies have been using bottles with BPA for decades. It’s a tough choice; you’ll need to decide for yourself.
Technorati Tags: bpa baby bottles, babies r us, toys r us, reproductive disorders, laboratory animals, brain damage, nalgene, playtex, water bottles, baby products, electronic equipment, estrogen, hormones
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