B.P.A. in Plastics - Is it Dangerous?

May 9, 2008 | Written by: Connie Brooks

BPA in baby bottles article1Several months ago I did an article on B.P.A. in baby bottles. The original article generated a lot of interest in BPA free baby bottles and baby products here at Thrifty Mamas.

Since the first article was not very detailed, I thought that it would be worth re-visiting the topic during Family Safety Month. :)

What is B.P.A.?

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Here are some concrete examples.

Polycarbonate plastic is used in:

  • Plastic food and drink containers (including baby bottles)
  • CD’s and DVD’s
  • Electronics
  • Toys like plastic beach balls, foot balls, etc.

    Epoxy Resins that use BPA include:

  • Metal can liners for industrially canned foods
  • Some types of paint and glue

    What does the research say?
    BPA in baby bottles article2
    The truth is that the jury is still out on this one. Government agencies around the world are making official claims that BPA is safe.(Except for Canada, which has banned imported baby bottles containing BPA) So where is all the hype coming from?

    Let’s take a quick look at the controversial study:

  • In 1981 12 female rats were injected with 125mg of BPA per day. Scientists found that it reduced the ability of the female rats to get pregnant, so they lowered the dose to 85/mg a day for 4 of the rats. All rats (even the ones getting the lower doses) had fewer live offspring, and the babies that were born were smaller than they should be.

    • Why it’s controversial:

    The medical community cries “foul!” because there were only twelve rats in the study. Many believe that with such a small number represented the results can not be accurate.

    Critics like to cite another study done in 1984 where mice were dosed with 25, 50 or 100mg of BPA a day for 125 days. The study concluded that there were no reproductive effects on either the male or female mice in the study.

    However, what they often fail to mention is that there was a follow-up to that study done in 1985 that did show a reduction of live births in mice, and fewer children per litter.

    So, to sum up, the FDA says it’s safe, and various studies present conflicting information.

    For more information on each of the studies I mentioned you can visit this site. Scroll down to the “Key Studies” section.

    How can I help my family avoid products made with BPA?
    BPA in baby bottles article3
    There are several easy ways to keep from exposing your family to BPA. Here are some quick tips to keep you safe:

  • You can see a list of BPA free baby bottles here.
  • You can switch to glass containers for storing and re-heating food.
  • Try using aluminum foil rather than plastic wrap.
  • Consider using a water filter instead of drinking bottled water.
  • You should never heat plastic in the microwave.

    • All plastic products contain a number on the bottom. The numbers (1-7) give information on how the plastics are to be recycled. Try to avoid any plastic product marked with the number 7. This is because all products that contain BPA fall into the #7 category. It is worth noting that not everything marked with a 7 will have BPA in it, just that all BPA products do fit into the #7 category.

    Resources:

    The following articles and websites can help you learn more about BPA.

  • BPA Free Baby Bottles - A list of BPA free baby bottles
  • Bisphenol-a.org - Current information on BPA and case study information.
  • BPA-Who’s Prepared? - Lauren Wood’s blog. A nice article with good links to more info.

    What do you think?
    What do you think?

    Are you going to change your child’s baby bottles? Is it all a bunch of hype for nothing? Scroll down to give us your opinion!





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      Written by Connie Brooks | Filed Under BPA Free Baby Products, Current News and Events, Family Safety, The Campaign for Safe Baby Products 

      Comments

      2 Responses to “B.P.A. in Plastics - Is it Dangerous?”

      1. Todays Deal: Raz-Berry Silicone Teether : Thrifty Mamas on June 30th, 2008 5:56 am

        [...] This is an excellent alternative to plastic toys since silicone does not include BPA. [...]

        • Review: FlyLady’s BPA Free Water Bottles : Thrifty Mamas on July 2nd, 2008 9:21 pm

          [...] all the recent research concerning BPA and it’s health risks, I thought it was a great time to tell you about some excellent water bottles we bought. Because [...]

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