Toxic Baby Bottles?

Common baby bottles sold across North America contain "very significant" levels of a chemical linked to infertility and cancer, according to a report released by a coalition of scientists and environmental-health advocacy groups.

The chemical bisphenol A, which is a synthetic hormone that can leech out of certain plastic when heated, turned up in nine different polycarbonate bottles commonly sold in Canada by three different manufacturers.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is used to make hard polycarbonate plastic, and can be found in many items, including hard plastic bottles and in a lining of tin or aluminum cans.

The report claims 95 percent of all baby bottled contain BPA, a number which is referenced as according to ScienceNews.org.

"The only appropriate response to evidence that a known toxic chemical leaches from baby products is to phase it out and replace it with safer products in order to prevent harm wherever possible," report author Mike Schade said in a release. "Environmental health organizations from across the U.S. are calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of BPA in baby bottles and other food and beverage containers."

According to the report, Baby's Toxic Bottle: Bisphenol A Leaching from Popular Brands of Baby Bottles, "Bisphenol A is a developmental, neural, and reproductive toxicant that mimics estrogen and can interfere with healthy growth and body function. Animal studies demonstrate that the chemical causes damage to reproductive, neurological and immune systems during critical stages of development, such as infancy and in the womb."

Exposure to BPA is widespread, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that 95 percent of Americans tested have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies. A recent study shows that BPA levels are lowest in adults, mid-range in adolescents and highest in children.

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Read the entire report here. (20 pgs.)

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The results of the U.S. study show that, when new bottles are heated, those manufactured by Avent, Evenflo, Dr. Brown's and Disney/First Years leach levels of BPA that raise alarms.

Major retailers including Toys"R"Us, CVS, Target, Walgreens and Wal-Mart sell baby bottles that leach BPA, according to the report.

According to a separate report from Environment California Research & Policy Center, experiments on animals link exposure to BPA at very low doses to serious health problems including:

prostate and breast cancer

early onset of puberty

obesity

hyperactivity

lowered sperm count

miscarriage

diabetes

altered immune system

What can worried parents do?

The coalition that released the report suggests trying to reduce a child's exposure by using glass or polypropylene bottles - which usually have a "7" or "PC" on the underside - rather than polycarbonate. If you continue to use polycarbonate bottles, you can:

Hand-wash the bottles, keeping them away from harsh detergents or scouring bristles, both of which can scratch the surface and unleash more chemicals.

Avoid heating food in the containers.

Avoid use of infant formulas or canned foods that come in containers lined in polycarbonates.

[erasmus6]

"I used the good sense the Creator gave our anatomy and breastfed--avoided that problem." posted by kemetorigin

Geez, how nice for you. There are some woman that would have loved to have breastfed their baby only for one reason or another they were not able to.

[erasmus6]

"Plastics are a blessing" posted by siriusmw


Plastics are deadly. They are not good for holding food and also they put off a toxic gas. I do not believe that plastic can be made to where it will not contain anything toxic.

[siriusmw]

otdky07,

Not back to nature, but back to common sense--which we haven''t had for centuries. When people lived to be 40 or 50 they hid the smell of rotting meat with rosemary. And they suffered related illnesses. They weren''t paying attention then, either. Progress made it possible for them to hold on to meat longer than normal, and scenting made it possible to ignore the obvious warning signs.

Plastics are a blessing, we just don''t have anyone checking production methods, use, and risks. And if they are, they aren''t telling us the truth.

Taste milk from an older plastic bottle or a sandwich from a lunch bag that sat in a locker all morning. I''m embarrassed that I didn''t pay attention when my kids were younger, but hope we get wiser if needed as we move along. Progress isn''t progress if it sets us back in another way.

[erasmus6]

"I would use glass whenever possible." posted by hling2


Years and years ago that is what was used is glass. Pop, milk, everything was in glass and that is the way it should have stayed. Everything now is in plastic and aluminum. BAD.

When my kids were babies I used those Playtex? bottles where they had a plastic shell that you put in these plastic bags and then you put the nipple on it. I didn''t heat them in the microwave or use boiling water to heat them, I used hot tap water. But I wonder now, how toxic were they?

How many years have gone by where all this c-r-a-p in everything has been doing damage? The only reason we are finding out things now is because of all this c-r-a-p that has been going on with China. They are now inspecting everything. I guess in some ways we should be thankful that this has happened because it has now put everyone on alert.

In case there are people that don''t know this, NEVER put a bottle of water in the freezer, it let''s out certain toxic chemicals into the water. I used to do this all the time in the summer. Also do not use anything plastic in the microwave as it puts the plastic toxins into the food.

[sticks54]

this study was sponsored by a manufacturer of bpa free bottles
what do you think it will say?

[hling2]

I would use glass whenever possible. To reinforce another''s comment: polycarbonate (PC) is resin ID # 7 which is the catch-all for various plastics. Polypropylene (PP) is #5.

[otdky07]

Let''s all go back to nature. Modern science and medicine is pure evil. It''s all a grand cospiracy. Let''s hug more trees. Let''s make IV lines out of wood and operate outdoors and let''s use our bare hands instaed of those poisonous plastic gloves. It worked so well in the early 1900''s. Let''s return to an age where the average life expectancy was 45 or 50 and the maternal mortality rate was 10%! Will that make everyone happy.

[bucciarelli]

Information in the article appears to differ from that in the report. The report suggests trying to reduce a child''s exposure by using glass or polypropylene bottles - - rather than polycarbonate which usually have a "7" or "PC" on the underside. Your article implies that polypropylene has a 7 or PC on the underside, which is misleading to those who do not read the complete report. Thank you

[siriusmw]

I find it hard to believe this is even a discussion. It should be a no-brainer. Plastic is a compound of toxic chemicals. Plastic is poison in its melted form. WHY do we continue to believe that heating plastic does not renew the original characteristics of plastic? Why do we need the FDA to tell us that plastic makes our food and beverages taste and smell differently because the chemicals are basically dissolving? (simply stated)

And how can doctors and parents give their baby something that smells badly once heated (try smelling any warm plastic, it''s obviously chemical).

We need to start using our instincts, not our manipulated heads. How can we be sure that breathing plastic-coated air in hospitals and public areas is not contributing to higher levels of lung and other cancers? There''s so much we don''t know, but if it''s a question, we don''t avoid it. We DO it until someone proves it''s bad for us. Doesn''t make sense...