Growing Concern, Controversy Over Plastic Baby Bottles
Monday August 27, 2007
Earlier this year, research from the University of Missouri indicated that a potentially harmful chemical called BPA could leach from plastic baby bottles and be ingested. Now some BPA researchers say that exposure to BPA could potentially result in behavioral or neurological problems in children.
BPA, which is short for bisphenol A, is known to cause developmental, neural and reproductive harm in lab animals. The University of Missouri tests showed potentially harmful levels of BPA in baby bottles from popular manufacturers including Avent, Dr. Brown's, Gerber, Evenflo and Playtex.
Polycarbonate plastic baby bottles are the most likely to contain BPA. Parents hoping to limit their baby's exposure to BPA should look for glass baby bottles, use bottles with a drop-in lining system, or look for bottles made of other plastics. Opaque plastics are a good choice, as are plastics with a #1, #2, #4 or #5 recycling label. BPA also tends to leach more with heat and age, so you can prevent some of the risk by not heating liquids in the bottle and not putting bottles in the dishwasher. You could also throw away plastic baby bottles when they show signs of age. For more information on avoiding BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups, I recommend this Consumer Alert on BPA in Plastic Baby Bottles from the Baby Bargains blog. The authors of that blog have taken a pretty strong stance on BPA, much to the dismay of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Assocation, which maintains that plastic baby bottles are still safe for our children and that science backs up the safety of plastic baby products.
To be fair, several other consumer groups and plastics manufacturers have issued media alerts recently, saying that BPA doesn't leach from plastics easily, and that these types of plastics don't present risks to human children. Affects on humans are not yet documented by research, though studies have shown some potential for harm to animals. Most interesting to me is that baby bottles are likely not the largest source of BPA exposure for babies and toddlers, according to an article on WebMD.com. Cans of baby formula and canned foods and beverages also can contain quite a bit of BPA.
We likely won't know for many years whether BPA leaching from plastic baby bottles is a legitimate cause of medical problems for children. Until we know more, though, my advice is to carefully weigh the evidence on all sides and make your choice based on the facts that you find. I don't think that parents need to immediately throw away their polycarbonate bottles, though it wouldn't hurt to limit the heating and dishwasher cycles, and throw the bottles away when they become scratched or cloudy. If you're concerned, look at alternates to polycarbonate bottles - there are many BPA-free baby products available.
BPA, which is short for bisphenol A, is known to cause developmental, neural and reproductive harm in lab animals. The University of Missouri tests showed potentially harmful levels of BPA in baby bottles from popular manufacturers including Avent, Dr. Brown's, Gerber, Evenflo and Playtex.
Polycarbonate plastic baby bottles are the most likely to contain BPA. Parents hoping to limit their baby's exposure to BPA should look for glass baby bottles, use bottles with a drop-in lining system, or look for bottles made of other plastics. Opaque plastics are a good choice, as are plastics with a #1, #2, #4 or #5 recycling label. BPA also tends to leach more with heat and age, so you can prevent some of the risk by not heating liquids in the bottle and not putting bottles in the dishwasher. You could also throw away plastic baby bottles when they show signs of age. For more information on avoiding BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups, I recommend this Consumer Alert on BPA in Plastic Baby Bottles from the Baby Bargains blog. The authors of that blog have taken a pretty strong stance on BPA, much to the dismay of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Assocation, which maintains that plastic baby bottles are still safe for our children and that science backs up the safety of plastic baby products.
To be fair, several other consumer groups and plastics manufacturers have issued media alerts recently, saying that BPA doesn't leach from plastics easily, and that these types of plastics don't present risks to human children. Affects on humans are not yet documented by research, though studies have shown some potential for harm to animals. Most interesting to me is that baby bottles are likely not the largest source of BPA exposure for babies and toddlers, according to an article on WebMD.com. Cans of baby formula and canned foods and beverages also can contain quite a bit of BPA.
We likely won't know for many years whether BPA leaching from plastic baby bottles is a legitimate cause of medical problems for children. Until we know more, though, my advice is to carefully weigh the evidence on all sides and make your choice based on the facts that you find. I don't think that parents need to immediately throw away their polycarbonate bottles, though it wouldn't hurt to limit the heating and dishwasher cycles, and throw the bottles away when they become scratched or cloudy. If you're concerned, look at alternates to polycarbonate bottles - there are many BPA-free baby products available.
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