Safety of Baby Bottles Questioned
Many of you have probably seen baby
bottles and sippy cups in the news recently; several studies have
come out questioning the safety of BPA, a chemical used to make the
polycarbonate plastic that makes up several major bottles and sippy
cups. Last week a medical journal published a study done by 38
scientists who believe BPA poses a “significant” health
risk.
As well, a federal panel of the National Institute of Health
recently said there is “some concern” the chemical
could cause behavioral and neurological problems in young
children.
BPA is used in hard, clear plastic bottles
like Avent and Dr. Brown. Some child health experts are encouraging
that these be thrown away altogether and you find other
alternatives. Medela bottles, though clear, are made of a different
material and thus considered safe. Likewise, any bottle or sippy
cup of opaque plastic is considered safe. Born Free also makes a
safe, clear bottle. Basically, any plastic with a “2”,
“4”, or “5” is safe; those with a
“1”, “3”, “6”, or
“7” are uncertain.
I’ve been following the story for a while, but finally
decided to comment on it when Baby 411, one of my favorite
infant reference books, withdrew their support and urged parents to
throw out their bottles. And rather than try to regurgitate all the
information that’s been reported much better than I could do,
here are several links to give you more information.
Again, this is not a government recall. You decide what to do.
Maddie used them her whole babyhood and seems pretty great, but
I'm going to follow the advice of experts I trust since the
long-term effects won't be known for quite some time. I’m
bummed I’m throwing away fifty bucks worth of Avent bottles,
but believe it’s the right thing for me to do; I encourage
you to talk with your pediatrician and get her advice on the
subject. I guess I’ll be using the Medelas that came with the
pump.
href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-plastic3aug03,0,1828523.story?coll=la-home-nation">
Articles questioning health risks of BPA
href="http://www.windsorpeak.com/baby411/bpa.html">Baby
411 article
href="http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/draftBPA_MtgSumm080807.pdf">
NIH study
href="http://www.windsorpeak.com/babybargains/BPAbottles.html">Pictures
of polycarbonate bottles
href="http://www.windsorpeak.com/babybargains/BPAFREEbottles.html">
Pictures of BPA-free bottles
href="http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/05/sippy-cup-showdown-safer-bpa-free- sippy.html">
Pictures of BPA-free sippy cups
0 comments:
Post a Comment
House Rules
Here are the rules for posting comments on 1mother2another.com. Posting a comment that violates these rules will result in the comment’s deletion, and you’ll probably be banned from commenting in the future.
1) Register first. If you would like to post a comment, you must create an account with us. Check out the home page to do so.
2) Constructive comments only. If you cannot maintain a respectful tone in your posting, even in disagreement, your comment will be deleted. We’re all trying to find our way in this thing and are struggling to be the best moms we can. If you disagree with something I say, feel free to politely email me. If you disagree with another reader’s posting, you’re welcome to kindly post in reply. Vitriolic diatribes will be deleted. This site is about encouraging and supporting, not tearing down and chastising.
3) Questions welcomed. If an entry raises a question, you’re welcome to email me directly or post it. Keep in mind that postings will result in public replies by strangers and not just me.
4) Don’t steal. All original writings contained within this website are under copyright protection. If you link to us, please credit us as your source and provide a link back to our website. If you're interested in using an excerpt in published material, please contact us.
5) Share your photos! We'd love to have photos from our registered readers to show on our home page under "Maddie's friends". Email us a jpeg of your little one's best photo to photos@1mother2another.com. Please, no photos from professional photographers which fall under copyright protection.