Headlines that condemn some types of baby bottles as toxic have parents concerned about their baby's exposure to bisphenol A (BPA, a chemical used in making some types of plastics. While some researchers and groups hope to ban on BPA in baby feeding products, and the Canadian government is set to officially list BPA as dangerous, other industry groups say this is a hasty decision based on little actual evidence.
National Toxicology Program Draft Report - 04/14/08
One flurry of activity regarding BPA was touched off by a draft report from the National Toxicology Program. Though several stores made the choice to phase out baby products containing BPA based on this report, the report doesn't offer any solid conclusions on whether or not BPA can cause developmental, behavioral or reproductive issues in humans. The NTP report says that BPA could "possibly" affect human development or reproduction. According to the report:"there is no direct evidence that exposure of people to bisphenol A adversely affects reproduction or development, studies with laboratory rodents show that exposure to high dose levels of bisphenol A during pregnancy and/or lactation can reduce survival, birth weight, and growth of offspring early in life, and delay the onset of puberty in males and females."The NTP report goes on to say that, in these high-dose animal tests, administered doses of BPA were "far in excess of the highest estimated daily intakes of bisphenol A in children (< 0.0147 mg/kg bw/day), adults (< 0.0015 mg/kg bw/day), or workers (0.100 mg/kg bw/day)."
There are low-dose animal studies regarding BPA, too. The BPA doses in these tests are closer to human exposures, and show some evidence of neural and behavioral changes, development of precancerous lesions, changes in urinary tract and prostate development, and the early onset of puberty in girls that has been mentioned a lot in the media recently. However, the NTP report notes that there is significant scientific controversy over whether or not the low-dose tests can be extrapolated to accurately assess effects of BPA on humans.
The NTP report concludes that evidence is still limited, but the possibility that BPA could negatively affect humans cannot be entirely ruled out.
National Toxicology Program Final Report - 9/03/08
NTP's final report echoes the findings from the draft report, saying that more research is needed on BPA and that there is some concern that BPA can cause developmental and hormonal problems in infants and kids. Although the report is based on animal studies, the group says BPA's risk to human's can't be totally ruled out. One interesting change from the draft report to the final report - NTP has downgraded their statement that there was "some concern" that BPA could speed up puberty in girls to say that there is "minimal concern" on that issue. In an AP article on the final report, Michael Shelby, the report director, said it is too early to recommend changes to what consumers should buy and eat.
FDA Says BPA is Safe - 8/15/08
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed to take another look at the safety of BPA in plastics following the National Toxicology Program report. FDA's latest report indicates that, although BPA is found in the urine of more than 90 percent of Americans, the levels are thousands of times lower than what would cause harm to children or adults. Despite FDA's assurances that BPA is safe, several U.S. states have initiated legislation to ban or restrict the use of BPA. Canada also is working to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles.
Baby Products Industry Response
The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) has been extremely vocal in backing the members who make products with BPA. In a response to Health Canada's decision to ban BPA in baby gear, JPMA assured consumers that "sound and respected scientific research has consistently shown there is no danger to consumers when products are used as intended. Trace levels of bisphenol A from consumer products are well below any level that could cause harm to adults or to our children." The JPMA response also calls Health Canada's choice to ban BPA "arbitrary" and expresses confusion and disappointment that Health Canada would acknowledge that BPA exposure in newborns and infants is below levels that may pose a risk and then ban products with BPA anyway.
JPMA has also created a website to give parents what they feel is the best information available on BPA, including citations for several studies that back their claim that BPA is safe for children at the low levels found in bottles and other feeding products.
A Baby Safety Expert's Opinion
At the 2007 ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, the Thermos company invited Dr. Erica Liebelt, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, to speak to media attendees about baby safety issues in the news. Dr. Liebelt agreed that there is information in BPA animal studies that indicates a potential for early puberty and abnormal sexual development, but said it's important to "be careful about extrapolating animal tests to human toxicity." Though BPA mimics estrogen in animals, "humans get rid of BPA more completely and rapidly than rats," Liebelt said.
As for whether BPA is toxic, Dr. Liebelt said there are no definitive human studies that show toxicity, and that there is no conclusive evidence that low levels of BPA in humans are toxic. Still, she recommended that parents minimize their childrens' exposure to BPA because "we just don't know yet." Dr. Liebelt suggested that, if you don't switch to BPA-free products, you avoid using plastic baby bottles or sippy cups that are old, scratched or cloudy looking.
