Apr
17
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Dear SafeMama
Trying to get up to date on all this BPA talk popping up in the news? Just saw a report on the local or national news? Hearing mixed information from friends? Ahh we feel your mounting frustration from here. Before you get that huge trash bag and barrel through your kitchen like a sleep deprived maniac, read this. Safe Mama is all about efficiency. We know you parents are tired and need the quick and dirty version, so here you go:
- What is BPA? BPA or Bisphenol-a is a chemical used mostly in polycarbonate plastics (PC) and in the lining of metal cans. It can be found in products like: baby bottles, sippy cups, sports bottles, almost all canned food / formula cans (lining), all soda cans, foil seals, and jar food lids. Greeeat. (feel my thick sarcasm?)
- How do I know if something plastic is made with Polycarbonate plastic (PC)? Flip the item over and look for a recycling symbol on the bottom. It looks like a triangle of arrows with a number between 1 – 7 in the center. Polycarbonate plastic is usually marked with a 7. It might sometimes have a PC next to it indicating polycarbonate. However, not ALL #7 plastics are PC…
- Why should I avoid BPA? Bisphenol-a is a known endocrine disruptor. Meaning it has estrogenic properties which, in recent animal tests has shown to potentially cause a bevy of health problems such as;
- precancerous tumors
- uro-genital abnormalities in male babies,
- a decline in semen quality in males,
- early onset of puberty in females,
- Disrupts cancer treatments
- Connected to brain function and mood disorders in monkeys
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Impairs brain function and could lead to memory loss, learning difficulties and depression.
- So, do my Avent / Dr. Browns baby bottles have BPA? If they are the traditional hard clear plastic ones that millions of people use? Most likely, YES. Want to check which bottles are not made with polycarbonate plastic (PC)? We have a growing list of bottles, sippy cups, milk storage and other items available:
- What if my item has no recycling code on it? Welcome to our hell! There is no way of knowing unless you a) Find it on the “BPA Free lists” or b) call the company the product is made by and ask them what kind of plastic it is. We wish it was easier than that, believe us.
- Where else is BPA found besides baby bottles? Sports bottles, glass jar lids, in the lining of canned food, soda cans, infant formula cans, and foil seals
Research is showing that plastic containers, mostly those used to hold liquids and foods, are leeching Bisphenol into the foods and liquids they are holding. Heating food and liquids with these plastics is shown to increase the leeching of this contaminate. It has also been proven that BPA leeches into liquids from metal can linings (such as prepared baby formula) Bottom line: It’s icky and if you don’t want to chance it on your precious kids, there are ways to avoid it.
We hope that helps get you started. Please, feel free to browse the site for more information using the category list, the search function or the many resources in the left sidebar. If you’ve exhausted the resources we have here and still can’t find a suitable answer, ask us. We try to answer your questions as best we can. We’re just mom’s like you, trying to figure it all out. So hopefully we can get help each other out!
Related articles:
- Canada Bans Polycarbonate Baby Bottles with Bisphenol-a
- New Bisphenol-A Study in the News
- California’s Ban on BPA Passes Senate Health Committee
Comments
9 Responses to “Bisphenol-a (BPA) Crash Course”
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What about the formula cans? how do we find out if that is bad?
and does anyone know about tupperware? is it safe?
Check this out: http://www.ewg.org/node/25637
Most Tupperware is polypropylene (#5) which is a safer plastic, but I have read that a few pieces are polycarbonate. You’re best off calling the company.
Also, FYI – just looking for the number 7 isn’t so simple anymore because it denotes the “other” category of plastic, not simply polycarbonate. It used to be mostly polycarbonate, but now many bio-plastics are labeled with the 7, as well. Again, unless it’s the 7 with the letters PC, you might want to call the manufacturer.
Apparently, we not only need better chemical regulation, we also need better labeling and full disclosure.
Thanks for mentioning that, Janelle. For the sake of “quick and dirty” I didn’t mention it, as it seems to really confuse people. But it’s worth discussing further for sure.
I’ve covered the #7 plastic topic in the past but perhaps we all need a refresher course!
Yes, it’s all pretty confusing (and soooo frustrating for busy parents). Thank you for the great work you do to clarify everything!
Funny when I emailed Avent about any plans to come out with glass or BPA free bottles they replied with their standard “BPA has been proven to be safe for human use”. I hope companies start to go the way of Nalgene and realize that consumers just will no longer buy their products and maybe loss of money will influence a change.
[...] sent me. and if you are unsure whether you have BPA on your baby’s bottle here’s a crash course from their site as [...]
i as wondering about bottle and food warmers? are they made with BPA ? i currently have the avent bottle and food warmer and am wondering if i should get rid of it as i am with all their bottles and breast pump.
[...] speaking, of course, about the whole plastic water bottle/Number 7 plastic/BPA additive/no throwing away without recycling disaster. I’m a huge advocate of drinking lots and lots of water, and, until last week, we had scads [...]