The war against BPA
Posted on April 21st, 2008 – 11:18 AMBy Josephine Marcotty
There was a lot going on last week on the BPA front. BPA is bisphenol A, a chemical used in plastic to make it hard and clear. It’s often used in containers – water bottles and baby bottles, in particular. However, questions have been raised about it’s health risks, especially for children, because it may mimic a human hormone.
On Friday the Canadian government moved to ban polycarbonate infant bottles, the most popular variety on the market, after it officially declared BPA toxic. It was the first time a national government has taken action against use of the chemical in consumer products.
There’s more. The maker of the popular Nalgene bottles said last week that it will stop using BPA in its products. Nalgene Outdoor Products is a unit of Thermo Fisher Scientific, based in Rochester. A spokesman said the company was responding to consumer concerns, but that the products with BPA are safe.
Meanwhile, the National Toxicology Program in the United States issued a detailed report summarizing all the scientific research on BPA, with conclusions. If you have a taste for scientific documents, you can read the report here.
If you want to know more about how to reduce your childrens’ exposure to BPA, the Minnesota environmental advocacy group Healthy Legacy will explain how. They are holding educational meetings for parents, and to raise support for a bill pending at the Minnesota State Legislature that would ban BPA in some products.
17 Responses to "The war against BPA"
Thank you for bringing up this issue. It has been on my radar for a while… the baby bottles I’ve been using have BPA in them. It really frustrates me that parents are essentially on their own in trying to figure out what is the safest product for their children, be it baby bottles, lead-laced toys, vaccine schedule, etc. It is really overwhelming.
So now I’m faced with getting rid of the 10 Nalgene bottles that my husband and I have in regular rotation — part of our efforts to be “green” — and replace them with, what, $20 Sigg bottles? That would be quite an investment!
Are we eventually going to find out that all plastics are contributing to cancer? This is the conclusion a lot of my green-minded friends are reaching. In some ways I feel like they are jumping to conclusions, but… maybe they are onto something.
I too have been watching this issue. Right now, my biggest worry is the BPA in formula cans. I could not breastfeed so that was my only other option. It makes me sick everytime I make a bottle for her that I may be poisoning her. But what are my choices, if breastfeeding is not an option.
jennifer, actually there are more options. Sigg bottles are nice, but they also will dent very easily because they’re made of aluminum. klean kanteen is also a good option and more sturdy because its stainless steal: http://www.kleankanteen.com
also, not all nalgene bottles are made with BPA. there are lots of nalgene bottles already made and for sale that are made of the softer, less-hard, opaque plastic and they do not contain any BPA.
Thank you for blogging about this! I’ve been reading more and more information that is convincing me to switch over all of our water bottles (nalgene polycarbonates), sippy cups, baby bottles (Avents), pacifiers (MAM), etc. Please keep addressing this issue and updating us on what’s going on out there. I read that Wal-Mart is pulling all baby bottles containing BPA off their shelves, and that REI has pulled all water bottles containing BPA off their shelves as well. A quick look at REI.com shows the polycarbonate style of Nalgene bottles are no-longer for sale.
Also - for those who have already made the switch over - what brands do you like??? I’m in need of baby bottles (I’m due June 3rd), sippy cups (2 year old) and water bottles for me! Eek!
Hi, Christy-
I’m in a similar situation (due in September). I have found a couple of useful sites for baby products (and I know there are others out there):
http://www.organicgrace.com (which appears not to carry any plastic products at all)
http://www.thesoftlanding.com (BPA, PVC, and Phthalate free products)
Healthy Legacy is an advocacy group, but they have pretty good information on their web site. Also I encourage you to look at the conclusions and summary in the National Toxicology Program report. That way you at least know the state of the science on this. JM
Glass is a great option for baby bottles and adult water containers! I love VOSS bottles! You can find them at “World Market”. It is actually imported water that is very inexpensive: 1.99-2.99/ bottle. I buy it for the reusable glass container, not the impoted water. Works great for me!
For bpa-free bottles, try “Born Free”. They make glass as well as bpa-free plastic bottles and sippy cups.
We have an array of bottles for “on the go” use: we each have our own SIGG bottle, and baby also has a KleanKanteen with a sippy top as well as a Born Free sippy (Note however: both the KK and the BF are “fun” to shake upside-down until a little puddle forms! If you use them for water only it isn’t too big a deal.)
At home we use ceramic or enameled steel mugs. Also, no plastic baby spoons or bowls (remember, heat accelerates the leeching). Baby has two wooden spoons and a wooden teether (http://tinyurl.com/4a7t2c). I highly recommend his products — costly, perhaps, but they are non-toxic, handmade and much more durable than the bambü baby spoons we found at the local co-ops. For bowls we use either wood, enameled steel or when at table, ceramic or corningware (break-resistant).
As if we don’t already have enough to think about as parents!
I attended a tupperware party last week and asked the presenter about BPA. He assured me that tupperware products are free of BPA and that tupperware tests their products for safety.
Somehow, I don’t trust him 100%. Have you heard anything regarding tupperware safety? It’s not much good to throw away your kid’s bottle only to store crackers for the road in another plastic container!
I don’t know for sure about tupperware, but BPA is what makes plastic hard, clear and shatter-proof. So I would think that soft, cloudy plastic would either have less or none at all. And, to reiterate what Genie says, the chemical leeches more when it’s heated or when it’s scratched and old. JM
For tupperware, I would suggest Pyrex. Also, I would highly encourgage everyone to call thier MN elected officials. How great would it be to have a bill passed that would ensure that no matter what store parents went into, the bottles would be BPA free and toys phthalate free?! HealthyLegacy.org does have good information, they also have a list of safe baby bottles for interested parents.
For adult-handled storage (i.e. leftovers or adults’ lunches) I echo Connie’s comment on Pyrex - Target (and other stores) sell great containers w/ lids for not much $$. No tomato sauce stains! And somehow it feels more “civilized” to slurp leftover pasta from a glass container… For kids, I love stainless steel Thermos products (for drinks and for hot food.) I don’t trust my kids w/ glass containers in their lunch boxes given how they swing them wildly on their walk to school. I have been slowly moving toward storing all food that needs reheating or that “soaks stuff up” in glass and limiting my old plastic storage containers to holding crackers and cookies, which are usually already in some kind of wax paper bag. Sometimes I feel a little over-the-top, but I can honestly say that food tastes better when stored and microwaved in glass - there’s no “funky” smell or residue or strange pitting/staining of the container.
There is a bill pending at the Minnesota Legislature that would phase out BPA and phtalates (another questionable chemical) from children’s products. House File 2100, and Senate File 1858. Chief authors are Rep. Karen Clark, Senator Sandy Rummel. JM
Great article! We need to be aware of the potential risks that chemicals may pose.
Mark Salinas
Cologne, MN
jjj
The New York Times health blogger Tara Parker Pope has a good summary of the issues on her blog today. You can find it on the blog roll on this site. It’s called well. JM
Oops, it’s not on her blog, it’s in the New York Times health section. JM
