Jun
25
Bisphenol-A: How Much Evidence Do We Need?
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A, Chemicals | Comments Off
I was going to let this slide but I’ve heard the same few phrases a few times and now I’m thoroughly annoyed. These phrases include things like “activist hysteria” and “BPA has been around for 60 years, don’t you think the FDA would have taken notice if it was harmful?” and “activists in the blogosphere are creating unnecessary concern” and my favorite “There is no evidence that BPA in consumer products ever harmed a child or adult.”
Oh, really? That’s twice today I’ve read articles stating that there is no scientific evidence that BPA can harm anyone and that “activists” are just creating unnecessary hype. Let’s review some of this non-existent scientific evidence shall we?
- Yale School of Medicine: Found that BPA affected brain function and caused mood disorders in monkeys (perhaps someone should tell Yale that they don’t count as scientists)
- University of Cinncinati: Found that BPA disrupts cancer treatments
- Journal of American Medicine: Doctors in London published their findings that linked BPA to heart disease and diabetes. (”…found that the 25% of people with the highest levels of bisphenol A in their bodies were more than twice as likely to have heart disease and, or diabetes)
- University of Cinncinati: Found links to BPA and Metabolic Syndromes (which if untreated can lead to coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.)
- Yale School of Medicine: Found that BPA impairs brain function. After extended BPA exposure, primates had lost nerve cell connections in the parts of the brain that control memory, learning and mood.
- North Carolina State University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Found that exposure to BPA at levels the EPA has determined are safe resulted in early onset of puberty, which is a known risk factor for breast cancer and other mental and physical health problems. Data also show higher levels of exposure to BPA can lead to significant ovarian malformations, including cysts that likely indicate infertility.
- University of Cinncinati: BPA caused abnormal heart rhythms in female mice and rats in the lab setting.
- North Carolina State University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Discovered a connection between exposure to BPA and early puberty and reproductive health problems with female lab rats who were given doses of the chemical “equivalent to or below the dose that has been thought not to produce any adverse effects. (Biology of Reproduction)
And the list goes on and on… If that’s not enough scientific evidence that Bisphenol-A needs to be re-evaluated for safety than I don’t know what people like Ms. Whelan from Forbes Magazine or Dr Gilbert Ross of the American Council on Science and Health who seems to think there “isn’t a shred of scientific or medical sense in the proposed ban of bisphenol-A“ needs to hear in order to consider that perhaps just because something has been in use for 60 years doesn’t mean that there aren’t underlying effects that people are experiencing in their normal lives that may have been caused or enhanced by over-exposure to chemicals in our daily lives. Could they be right? Maybe! And I hope they are… I wish I could be that confident that chemical makers and the FDA had my best interest at heart. I wish I could just blindly trust the way they do. I’d probably sleep better at night if I could just leave my health and safety up to other people rather than opening my eyes to what’s going on around me.
It’s hard to tell why John Smith developed Diabetes at the age of 60. Could it be BPA? Maybe, maybe not. But as a consumer and a parent and a human being… I don’t want risks from chemicals to up my chances of developing health problems later in life. Nor do I want to expose my kids to something that *might* create reproductive problems for them in the future. MAYBE is not good enough for me.
Those of us who write about and talk about pushing for this change are not trying to be alarmist, or to just have something to be hysterical about. We’ve read the studies, we’ve looked at the research and we’ve wondered “what if”. We also have recognized that living without overexposure to BPA in our lives is 100% possible. Does that mean less money for companies who rely on BPA? Sure. Do I care? No.
Living with blind faith that “regulators” are protecting me and everything I touch is safe for my health and my family is just not something I will ever do.
Jun
17
Summer Series! Safer Ice Pop Molds
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Food Safety, product finds | 4 Comments
Everyone loves ice pops. If you don’t, you’re weird or have sensitive teeth. I’ve had this article in my head for almost a year and never got around to posting it until now. I have actually started writing it about 13 times but was holding out to find one product and could never find what I was looking for. Ice Pop molds are an awesome way to do something fun with the kids and not to mention a good way to sneak yogurt or pureed/juiced veggies into their diet without them knowing. I’m known to sneak spinach into smoothies so why not freeze them?
But what ice pop molds are BPA Free (and PVC, Phthalate, lead free etc)? Good question. I went hunting for some kind of awesome stainless steel set but came up totally empty handed. So I found a couple that pass the test as far as plastic goes. Here are my top picks:
Tovolo Ice Pop Molds: Tovolo has several different styles to pick from, star shaped ice pops, bars, etc and they’re all made of Polypropylene plastic (BPA Free #5 plastic) according to the company. What I like about these is that you can do some creative ice pop making with the cool shapes. They also carry silicone ice cream sandwich molds which look like a lot of fun too. And check out these Jewel Pop Molds! How cute! What little girl wouldn’t love a jewel popsicle ring?
Orka Ice Pops: Orka makes silicone molds in a neat twisty shape and have silicone tabs for easy removal. I can’t tell you how many times I was standing there using a butter knife trying to pry an ice pop out of its mold. Makes for a mangled ice pop and is not the safest way to remove them. Silicone with its flexible nature makes for removing super easy. They come in white and brown, which, not that it matters what color they are but the brown reminds me of ice cream so these would be great for yogurt based ice pops. I love the twisted portion too.
Lekue Silicone Ice Molds: For those who prefer “push-up” style ice pop consumption there’s an alternative for you too. These silicone molds are made in a slim cone shape, which makes for easy filling and probably a little less mess for eating. You can push the ice pop up from the bottom like those old freezer ice things we ate as kids… only this way you can make your own and skip all the food coloring.
SiliconeZone Popsicle Molds: These haven’t been available on Amazon for a while but they are neat tier shaped molds made of silicone that look neat (and big!). SiliconeZone makes a ton of freezer molds if you’re into funny shaped ice cubes too. I can’t seem to find the popsicle molds for sale online but if you run over them in a kitchen store they look like a good pick. Plus I’m partial to the molds made of silicone… for one silicone is a great alternative if you’re going to use plastic and two, easy removal is key. No one wants a repeat of my butterknife incident.
There are several others I’ve found but either I couldn’t determine the materials or the company never got back to me regarding their BPA Free status so I just listed the few I knew were safer. I found one by Norpro which had a stainless steel top and plastic receptacles, which utilizes wooden sticks, which some might find desirable but I couldn’t verify the plastic and lets face it, we don’t need to be tossing wooden sticks into the trash every day do we? So I skipped it. My dream ice pop maker, which I’ve searched for endlessly for a year, would be a stainless steel style one that had that pop out mechanism (like those old fashioned ice cube trays. Stainless steel ice cube trays exist but no ice pop molds (yet…says coming soon). I thought for sure Williams Sonoma would have something like that since its kind of a cool “retro” thing but alas, I cannot find it. If anyone does, please let me know and I’ll love you forever and ever.
Low Budget Ice Pop Tip: Jam a popsicle stick into a yogurt container and freeze. Healthy, quick and you can reuse the container (as long as its not polystyrene) again. I’ve also frozen those Stonyfield yogurt tubes but those create waste so I’d opt for something reusable to save yourself some cash.
Get Your Own: You can find most of these in on Amazon (check the dishware category for the ones available), but I’d also be willing to bet you could find these at kitchen specialty stores in your area too.
SafeMama’s Banana Papaya Ice Pops
Ingredients:
2 Cups Papaya Nectar (or juice)
2 large ripe bananas
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons plain yogurtInstructions:
In a blender, mix until smooth. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze. Voila.
Jun
9
Coke and Del Monte Plot to Deceive Consumers about BPA
Filed Under Bisphenol-A | Comments Off
I wrote last week about the meetings manufacturers had regarding the public view of BPA. Since then the meeting notes we’re leaked to the Internet and many of us were fuming that companies like Coca Cola and Del Monte were discussing using scare tactics and a pregnant woman role model to change our perception of BPA (which is found in the lining of most canned goods and soda).
As consumers, we’re entitled to know truths about what our food is exposed to and since BPA has come into the spotlight we’ve seen study after study showing potentially harmful effects of exposure. I won’t list it all out here again but we’re not naive to BPA anymore and finding out that companies would rather spend money on deceiving us than to take advantage of an opportunity to use an alternative (which is already in effect in Japan so don’t give me that “there is no other option” baloney) is a real testament to how big companies view its consumers: As a bunch of people who are too stupid to know better. Well … we’re not. And we want to tell you so.
The Environmental Working Group has launched a new effort to help those who want to express their disgust to companies entertaining the idea of deceiving consumers about BPA. Visit the EWG for phone numbers to Coke and Del Monte so you can tell them yourself.
Coca-Cola: 1-800-GET-COKE, then press 2
Del Monte: 1-800-543-3090
You can express your disgust about their unethical ideas to deceive consumers any way you like really, but the EWG has a sample script in case you’re not sure how to approach it.
“”Hello, My name is ______________. I’m shocked and disappointed in your unethical approach to business when it comes to BPA – placing profits ahead of my family’s health and using fear tactics to placate consumers about a clearly dangerous chemical. The BPA needs to go – NOW. Thank you.”
Visit the EWG website and tell them about your calls… they want to know how Coca Cola and Del Monte are reacting to consumer feedback regarding this matter.
If you’re not planning on participating, remember the impact we had on BPA in baby products. Everywhere you go baby items say BPA Free now and it wasn’t like that just a year ago. We as consumers and parents have made a difference.. with every phone call, letter or blog entry. We are more powerful than you think.
May
31
There’s been a bevy of articles floating around this week about meetings being held by manufacturers of cans and soda products. They’re concerned because of the public concerns regarding Bisphenol-A (BPA). Including the makers of Coca-Cola and Campbell. If you aren’t already aware, soda cans as well as the majority of canned food is lined with BPA – a hormone disrupting chemical that has a bevy of independent university studies showing harmful effects.
The movement by young mothers (their bread and butter buyers) to avoid BPA is causing them some grief, and well deserved. We all educated ourselves on the effects and are choosing to buy safer alternatives. Because we’re smart people. Manufacturers are going over options to change our view of BPA and to back up it’s safety. They are considering doing one or more of the following tactics to change our view of BPA:
- Use scare tactics: They’ll use slogans like “Do you want access to baby food anymore?” as if we won’t be able to feed our children without exposing them to BPA.
- Giving consumers a false sense of control: They will highlight cost effects of choosing BPA Free products.
- Using a spokesperson: Their “holy grail” spokesperson would be a pregnant woman they said. Apparently showing us a pretty pregnant woman enjoying BPA exposed food with a smile will make us all forget the studies done by respected universities showing BPA exposure is linked to metabolic disorders, brain function, heart disease, genital abnormalities, mood disorders, diabetes….. etc etc etc. Their plan would be to have her go around the country speaking about the benefits of BPA. (Which are?)
So essentially, they want to scare you into buying products containing BPA because they don’t want to lose money. They don’t want to bother investigating safer alternatives. They just want things to go back to the way they were… when we all had no idea BPA existed. Too bad we’re not so naive to be convinced by fear and a pregnant woman. This “young mother” isn’t going to fall for it.
Here’s the full article about the meetings held by manufacturers in the Washington Post:
Kathleen M. Roberts, a lobbyist with Bergeson and Campbell for the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, which represents makers of metal cans and their customers, organized Thursday’s meeting and confirmed the accuracy of the notes. She said her members are concerned about bills pending in state legislatures as well as on Capitol Hill that would restrict or eliminate the use of BPA in metal cans. She said BPA is a safe compound that has been tarred by activist groups and that consumers do not fully appreciate its importance.
Oh we appreciate… we appreciate the importance of protecting the health of our families from the dangers of overused chemicals. We also appreciate that it’s not just activists tarring our view of BPA, it’s the respected studies by top universities and organizations that are opening our eyes to what’s around us.
Source: Washington Post
From Our Fellow Moms
Seems this news has angered more than just us here at SafeMama and our colleagues have some really excellent points:
Sommer from Green and Clean Mom: Talk to the Hand
“What they heck do these mom bloggers know anyhow? On one hand a company wants to use them for PR and marketing and their qualified and valued and on the other hand they’re just hysterical and not trusted.”
Jennifer Taggart of The Smart Mama: Ready to piss off a mom blogger? Seek a pregnant woman to consume BPA lined canned goods
How stupid do these industry representatives think we are? They think that if they pick the right “messaging” (which the industry will discover through at $500,000 survey of consumer perceptions and messaging), we will ignore the growing body of evidence of adverse health effects associated with BPA exposure? That we can’t separate the fact from the fiction?
Jenn Savedge at Mother Nature Network : Movement afoot to silence BPA concerns
“Instead of researching the alternatives (Japan has significantly reduced its use of BPA in many canned goods,) BPA advocates are hanging on to this sinking ship and spending their time and money to devise a strategy and public relations campaign that would silence these concerns about BPA. According to the article in the Washington Post, industry executives are weighing ideas that use financial fears and dated health information to dissuade people from choosing BPA-free packaging.”
Alicia of The Soft Landing: Bisphenol-a Manufacturers Switch to Fear Inducing Strategy
“Who are the fear mongers now? We were the ones “propagating unnecessary fear” just a few short years ago – that is until science bolstered our basis of concern. Now the chemical industry is backed into a corner by the very people who supply the largest portion of their bank accounts – young mothers ages 21-35.”
Before we raised issue with BPA in baby products no one ever heard of BPA. Now you can’t swing a dead cat in Babies R Us without sitting a product labelled BPA FREE. We changed that, we can change this too.
Here’s more:
- Tiffany Washko (Nature Mom)
- Science for Sale
- Janelle Sorensen (Moms Rising)
- Katy Farber (Non-toxic Kids)
- Lynn Miller (Organic Mania)
Apr
28
BornFree Introduces BPA-Free Recyclable Bottles
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, product finds | Comments Off
BornFree™ was one of the first companies to start producing baby bottles made of BPA Free plastic back when some of us hadn’t even heard of Bisphenol-A. They are constantly taking the next positive step in baby care items and in the past year have expanded to things like stainless water bottles and pacifiers.
BornFree™ just released another new line of bottles that are totally recyclable, the Eco-Friendly BornFree™ Baby Bottle. The Eco-Friendly BornFree™ Baby Bottle is made of Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) which is a BPA, PVC and Phthalate free plastic and each bottle is made new, but can be returned to the company to be recycled into other household products like toys, furniture and household utensils.
BornFree™ Eco-Friendly baby bottles are durable and shatterproof so they’ll last the length of time you should only replace them / send them in for recycling when you have no more use for them. To return your BornFree™ Bottle for recycling, just contact them at 1-877-WWW-BORN. BornFree™ will pay for the postage too!
Where to Get Them: If you’re in the market for BPA Free plastic bottles you can pick up the new Eco-Friendly BornFree™ Baby Bottles on BornFree’s website – available in 9 oz. twin packs and 4 oz. twin packs. They aren’t in stores just yet but I imagine they will be eventually!
Apr
3
Long Island’s Suffolk County 1st to Ban BPA in Children’s Products
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Comments Off
I’m so proud. The county I grew up in is the first county in the country to put a ban on BPA in childrens products. Considering Suffolk County has one of the highest cancer rates in the country, this is something they didn’t want to fool around with I suppose. Take no chances as I always say.
Suffolk Executive Steve Levy signed the “first in the nation” ban on baby bottles and cups that contain BPA. I would love to have seen the ban include any and ALL products that contain BPA (like formual cans, canned food, soda, etc) but I will take the small victories as they come.
“In this day and age of prevention, we owe it to our youngsters to minimize their exposure to potentially harmful products, especially when there are safe, toxin-free alternatives readily available,” said Levy. “Of all the things a parent must worry about, whether or not their child is being harmed by a baby bottle should not be one of them.”
Retailers have already begun to remove products from store shelves voluntarily. I grew up in St James of Suffolk County and I am really proud of the legislation for taking a forward and bold step and placing themselves as leaders and forward thinkers. I hope more counties start to follow suit.
Mar
16
BPA In Soft Drink Cans
Filed Under Bisphenol-A | Comments Off
This is something we’ve known about and mentioned a while back, but when it comes to BPA, sometimes, it just bears repeating. Yes, there is BPA in those soft drink cans you may have been chugging. Energy drinks, sodas, those cans of Ensure you might be downing in place of a meal, all cans are coated with the resin that contains BPA in order to reduce aluminum exposure and also to help preserve the beverage. Even if you find a BPA free can, there’s still aluminium to contend with, so what’s worse?
Well for one, diet colas have phosphoric acid, along with aspartame, neither of which are good for you anyway (I sound like your mother, don’t I?). Regular colas have high fructose corn syrup. Once in a while, these aren’t horrible for you. It won’t kill you, but if you’re a habitual soda drinker, it may be time to think about switching over to bottles, which are in a safer plastic (look for recycling #’s 1,2,4 or 5, and avoid plastics with the recycling code #3, 6 or 7).
There’s also several varieties of natural and/or organic sodas in glass bottles, available at places like Whole Foods and health food stores. I know this sounds really lame, especially for those that are die hard Coke or Pepsi fans. Sometimes, we don’t always like what we hear. And I will say, that once you’ve switched over to more natural sodas, the conventional ones taste awful.
Mar
5
BPA Banned in New York’s Suffolk County
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A, Dear SafeMama, Skin Care | Comments Off
I just saw this once I had a chance to sit down and catch up on some news reading. The Associated Press reported that lawmakers in Long Islands Suffolk County have voted on approving a ban on baby products containing BPA:
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) — Lawmakers in a Long Island county have voted to approve what would be the nation’s first ban on baby bottles and toddler sippy cups made with a chemical that some studies suggest may be harmful to infants.
The ban on Bisphenol-A (BPA) was approved unanimously by the Suffolk County Legislature on Tuesday. It will take effect if County Executive Steve Levy signs it, but he has not indicated whether he will do so.
Not only does this please me in a Ban on BPA way but Suffolk County is where I grew up and I am so proud that my home county is helping pave the way.
Read the full article: Associated Press
Read about it on Safer States and I just saw a great post about this over at ZRecommends too… check it out.
Mar
5
SafeMama Had A Dream
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Product Safety | Comments Off
I was browsing through a Babies R Us catalog that came in with the mail this morning over breakfast. I turned to a page advertising baby bottles and splashed big across the top of the page it said BPA FREE! I had a little moment and I wanted to share it here.
A little over a year ago when I started this site, I remember feeling so many things about the information I had discovered. I was pissed off! I was angry and I also had some guilt because I had unknowingly used products with my son that I later found to have long term effects on him. It saddened me a great deal that I had found out “too late” and that all the time I thought I was doing all the right things, I was doing all the things I wouldn’t have done if I knew what I know now.
My goal, when I opened up SafeMama.com was to hopefully help another parent avoid those feelings. I wanted to give them the knowledge I didn’t have. I imagined how great it would be if one day all parents could go to the store and buy a product and without knowing what phthalates or BPA were, and still walk out with something safer in their cart. To walk the bottle aisle and have every single baby bottle and cup be BPA Free. And here we are a year later and that is slowly becoming a reality. This makes me so happy and proud of all of us.
Granted, we’re not there yet. There is still work to do. And it frustrates me that stores and big companies still produce products with potentially harmfully chemicals in them. It also makes me grind my teeth that stores do the things they do because of sales more so than their conscience. But, I feel as though as parents we are all a little smarter, a little more savvy and that now, we have become a real force of nature regarding products our children use. We have influence.
Perhaps we all have a mini degree in chemistry now and carry pocket guides detailing chemicals to avoid in our wallets, but we’re taking better control over what we want. They listened. We have really changed the world in just one year and I credit that to all the parents who called these companies along with us to demand answers. To demand safer products. And we’re slowly getting them. A year ago people didn’t know what BPA was and now they have signs in every store bragging “BPA FREE!!!”. I think we should not ever underestimate the power of a parent again. So thank you to everyone who even in some small way contributed to this growth. For reading this site and all the other sites like it, and for helping us make this progress.
Its happening in baby steps, but its happening. My next mini-dream is to walk the formula aisle and see “BPA FREE” on the packaging of every single baby formula brand. Let’s make that happen too.
Feb
4
Dear SafeMama: Humidifier Edition
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Dear SafeMama | Comments Off
Hello, I’m looking for a warm-mist humidifier for my daughter’s room and am wondering if you know anything about them containing BPA. Some of the water resevoirs are hard, clear plastic and since the water is heated, I’m concerned about spewing BPA filled water into the air as she sleeps! Any suggestions?
I’ve sat on this question for awhile, while I did some research. And from what I can tell, all humidifiers contain a polycarbonate (i.e. BPA laden) container. Unfortunately, my searches for a warm mist humidifier that didn’t have a polycarbonate tank turned up fruitless. I know that warm mist is better feels better in the winter. We had a warm mist one last winter and it not only helped my son feel better, but it helped keep his normally cold room toasty warm. That said (and not what you want to hear), I would stick with cool mist humidifiers at this time . My pediatrician also recommended taking your sick child into the bathroom right before bedtime and run a hot shower to help loosen steam. I can’t really recommend a plastic appliance that boils water.
Got a question? Send them to us.
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