Is Your Baby’s Bottle Toxic? by Christopher Gavigan:

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Healthy Child has always advised consumers to be wise with plastics, which can often leach dangerous toxins. Baby's Toxic Bottle, a study by a team of US and Canadian researchers has shown that plastic polycarbonate baby bottles leach dangerous levels of Bisphenol-A (BPA) when heated. All five brands tested, including Evenflo and Gerber, leached BPA. Adults should also be aware of the dangers as popular "Nalgene" bottles and other water bottles are made of the same type of plastic.

BPA, a common component in clear plastics, is a hormone-disrupting synthetic estrogen. According to the study, even at very low doses, BPA's mimicry of estrogen resulted in an array of health maladies including prostate and breast cancer, early onset of puberty, obesity, hyperactivity, lowered sperm count, miscarriage, diabetes, and altered immune system in animal studies. The hormone-like chemical could be the reason for overall rates of lower sperm counts, faster onset of puberty, and increased prostate cancer in humans.

Over 150 scientific journals have shown the dangers of small amounts of BPA in lab animals, which is sufficient to show their potential for harm in babies. The Work Group for Safe Markets, a coalition of public health and environmental NGO's, found that 95% of bottles on the market currently contain BPA. All of the brands they tested, Avent, Evenflo, Dr. Brown's and Disney/First Years, leached between 4.7 - 8.3 parts per billion of BPA and were purchased from major stores across the country.

In a press release, the Center for Health, Environment and Justice said:

"The only appropriate response to evidence that a known toxic chemical leaches from baby products is to phase it out and replace it with safer products," said Mike Schade, a report co-author with the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. "Environmental health organizations from across the U.S. are calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of BPA in baby bottles and other food and beverage containers."

In addition to baby bottles, BPA is used to make hard plastic used in some toddler sippy cups, polycarbonate water bottles such as some Nalgene bottles, dental sealants, and the linings of many food and beverage cans, including all infant formulas. There are no existing safety standards regulating BPA under U.S. laws, even for products used by infants and young children. Nine states have introduced legislation that would restrict the use of BPA in children's products, including baby bottles.

Parents can take action immediately to protect their children's health by choosing safer products, including plastic baby bottles made without BPA or glass baby bottles. (See the website for more tips.)

Visitors to the "Baby's Toxic Bottle" website can sign a petition to baby bottle manufacturers, urging them to phase out BPA in baby bottles.

The full study, "Baby's Toxic Bottle: Bisphenol A Leaching from Popular Baby Bottles," is available to download for free on the website. The Canadian version of the study is available at http://www.toxicnation.ca."

In 2007, a study by the Environment California Research and Policy Center showed that all of the five popular bottle brands they tested leached dangerous levels of BPA. The neural, developmental and reproductive toxin is now shown to leach even more when a hot drink is added. The quantities reached as much as 7.7 parts per billion, while natural human hormones remain active in the body at thousands of times lower than 1 part per billion.

Check out our recommended products section for safer baby bottles. While we recommend avoiding the use of plastic especially for hot foods or drinks, the safest plastic would be marked with the #5.

Christopher Gavigan, Healthy Child Healthy World, green, disease, pollution, children, energy, Penguin Books, books