For some time I've been unsure what to say about an issue that until recently seemed a little obscure: Bisphenol-A in baby bottles.
I first started hearing about this concern a few years ago, but it would come up infrequently. The information was a little hard to sort through, with environmental groups, the plastics industry, and the FDA saying conflicting things.
But now the issue has gone decidedly mainstream, and a report issued today raises enough concern to make me recommend that parents consider this issue when choosing bottles.
Here's the issue: Bisphenol-A (or BPA) is a component of polycarbonate plastics used in many products, including almost all baby bottles, cans, and sunglasses. BPA was developed as a synthetic form of estrogen, and laboratory studies have linked it to impaired hormonal function, cancer, developmental toxicity, learning problems, hyperactivity, and insulin functioning.
The concern is that BPA can leach from a baby bottle into breastmilk/formula, causing some of the above health problems. There has been fierce debate over whether this is the case, with environmental groups on one side, the plastics industry on the other, and the FDA stating that BPA does not pose a health concern.
Recently a federal panel of scientists convened to study the issue, and their report was issued today. The Boston Globe reported today:
The scientists ranked their concerns about BPA, concluding they had "some concern" about neurological and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children, but "minimal" or "negligible" concern about reproductive effects. The findings put the panel roughly in the middle of the debate between the chemical industry, which has long said there is no evidence of danger to humans, and environmental activists and scientists who say it is probably harming people.
No study has looked for effects in people exposed to the plastic products, which have contained BPA for 50 years.
For fetuses, pregnant women, infants, and children, the panel reported there was "some concern that exposure to bisphenol A causes neural and behavioral effects." In studies of newborn animals, low doses of BPA cause structural changes in the brain that trigger learning deficits and hyperactivity.
You can read the panel's full report here. This issue certainly isn't over yet. Expect to see more news, and surely some conflicting information in the months to come.
So, what do you do? If you're concerned about this, you may want to buy bottles that are BPA-free. For breastfed babies I still think it's important to look for a bottle with a wide-based nipple, like those on the Avent (which we used), Dr. Brown's, and Platex Nurser. But all of those brands contain BPA. So I'd look into a brand called Born Free, which does not contain BPA. Born Free also has a line of glass bottles. Evenflo also makes glass bottles, though the nipple is not a shape I would recommend for breastfed babies. Medela collection bottles are also BPA free, so I don't think that there is a concern about pumping milk into them or using them for storage, but the nipple that attaches to them also lacks a wide-base, so it's not my favorite for feeding. Any thoughts from you?
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