The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that it plans to study the effects of BPA in depth in the future.  Currently, the FDA says that BPA’s are safe.  According to experts, the FDA bases this on the results of two studies done by other groups.  These studies, which were funded by chemical industries, claim that BPA’s are safe.

The National Toxicology Program has determined from it’s research that BPA’s, even in small amounts, can cause changes in brain development and behavior in infants and small children.  BPA’s are most easily ingested when chemicals from plastic containers seep into food and drink.

I became concerned about this when I saw an article that the bottles that I’d used for my son had a high concentration of BPA’s.  I began to try to find products without the chemical and was shocked at the lack of choices I found.  Many companies that made infant bottles weren’t even forthcoming with information it seemed.

Several months have passed and while strolling down the baby aisle last week, I noticed several products that actually announced that their product was BPA free.  I bought several BPA free products that day for my son.

Call me cynical, but I don’t buy the FDA’s position that this chemical is safe.  I’m grateful that I now have choices for safer products to purchase for my son.

Do you seek out products that advertise that they are BPA free? Do you agree with the FDA that this chemical is safe?

Just when you thought (maybe) BPA was safe, we find out that the FDA did not include important evidence in its report.

It turns out that the report’s thumbs-up for BPA was based on studies paid for by the plastics industry! It also conveniently ignored information from some independent studies.

The short story is that the FDA said BPA (a chemical used to harden plastic for products like baby bottles) was safe at the levels typically ingested by babies. However, the conclusion may be wrong on a few different levels. For one, they underestimated how much BPA babies take in, especially considering they may get it from several sources, not just bottles. But it also seems that BPA can be harmful at levels 10 times lower than they reported.

The National Toxicology Program, also a government group, said last month that there IS concern about how BPA alters brain and prostate development, as well as behavior in children and fetuses.

Not only that, but a new report just traced a link between exposure to BPA and resistance to chemotherapy treatment.

Currently, it is suggested that plastics #1,2,4, and 5 are safer choices than others (look in the recycling triangle for the number). I don’t like to join a hysteria bandwagon, and like “they” say–we survived despite our parents’ ignorance. But when it comes to things like this, I think it’s better to be safe than sorry. What will it hurt me to buy plastics that are BPA-free?

Here`s a new development to the issue of bisphenol A (BPA) contamination.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is now advising pregnant and breastfeeding women (as well as their babies) to minimize exposure to this suspected carcinogen and endocrine-disruptive substance. A previous post reported about drinking bottles taken off from store shelves due to BPA. The current warning indicated its`s not only polycarbonate hard plastics that`s involved. BPA may also be found in epoxy resin-lined metal cans containing soups, vegetable preserves and other food products.

CSPI gives the following recommendations to consumers:
? Buy fresh or frozen food products.
? Parents should make sure that their children are using BPA-free formula bottles and sippie cups.
? Food manufacturers should completely eliminate BPA from their packaging.

Exposure to BPA is suspected to cause cancer and reproductive disorders. Although there is currently little toxicological data available, many experts are concerned about BPA`s effect on children`s development and health.

Source:

CSPI Newsroom, 2 April 08

Drinking water bottles were taken off from the shelves in Canada in December and caused concerns worldwide. The panic was due to an article in Toxicology Letters which was first published online on November 2007 and in print on January 2008. The article reports on the chemical bisphenol A (PBA) which is used in the manufacture of plastics. PBA mimics the hormone estrogen and is supposedly carcinogenic.
The research tested whether PBA is being released into the bottle contents during use. The results show that indeed, drinks in these plastic bottles are being contaminated by PBA regardless of whether the bottle is new or used. In addition, the release of PBA goes faster when temperatures are higher (such as boiling water). The released substance into the water was tested in the lab and found to be toxic to brain cells.
Although Nalgene bottles were the most publicized brand to be taken off the shelves, other brands were actually involved as well. In fact, PBA is present in all plastics with polycarbonates and epoxy resins – including plastic dental braces, food packaging, and your baby`s formula bottles. And each time you sterilize those bottles or fill them with hot milk, you are actually releasing PBA.
We live in a plastic society. Plastic is very popular because it is strong, sturdy and unlike good old glass, unbreakable. But through plastic, we are actually exposed to dubious chemicals such as PBA – every day. According to the FDA, the amount of PBA released into the drinks is too low to cause any real harm. Do we want to risk it?

Source:
Le HH, Carlson EM, Chua JP, Belcher SM., 2008. Bisphenol A is released from polycarbonate drinking bottles and mimics the neurotoxic actions of estrogen in developing cerebellar neurons. Toxicol Lett. 2008 Jan 30;176(2):149-56. Epub 2007 Nov 19.