Is Your Baby's Bottle Safe?

I read an article just released yesterday about plastics and chemical leaching. The article is titled Toxic Chemical Leaches from Popular Baby Bottles and was published by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a toxic chemical that leaches from popular clear, plastic baby bottles. This chemical is a disruptor of hormone function and stimulates certain cancers (prostate, breast and ovarian dysfunction. According to the Center for Disease Control, BPA was found in the urine of 95% of Americans tested.

More surprising to me is that the most popular baby bottles are the ones that contain this chemical. Number one on the list are Avent bottles. In order from there, they are, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex. Yikes!! What makes them more dangerous is heating them up. When plastic is heated, the chemicals are released into their contents, i.e. baby's milk! In addition, through use, the plastic breaks down and leaches bisphenol A into liquids and food to which it comes in contact.

Very low doses of bisphenol A exposure have been linked to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes and hyperactivity.

You're probably asking yourself 'why are these manufacturers not regulated to inform their consumers of the safety of their products'? Good question! It makes it really hard to raise a child in a safe and chemical free environment. Most of us go out of the way to provide only the best for our children. How can we do this when we are kept in the dark about certain dangers... dangers to our babies!

There are a few things you can do to avoid this awful chemical exposure:

1) Choose glass or safer-plastic baby bottles; see IATP's Smart Plastic Guide for more information at www.iatp.org .

2) Never heat food or beverages in plastic containers or bottles, which can speed up the process of toxic chemicals leaching out of the plastic. (the microwave or stove)

3) Avoid harsh dishwashing soap and hot water, both of which speed up leaching

4) Avoid using plastic for fatty foods. Leaching increases with oily or fatty foods.

5) Avoid polycarbonate baby bottles. This kind of plastic contains the bisphenol A chemical as discussed above.

6)Use plastics with the number 4,5,1,2, all others aren't good for you

For those of you that use glass baby bottles or plastics that are safe, good for you for being in the know. Please share your resources and/or thoughts on this topic.

More information can be found at: www.EnvironmentCalifornia.org.

For safety tips copy and paste this link:

http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/uploads/QE/Wk/QEWkViuuXER7hTM0if4MxA/Shopping-Guide-for-Parents-and-Caretakers-of-Children.pdf