Recent News Reports About the Dangers of BPA and Phthalates Have Parents Wondering
By Deirdre Wilson
Baby bottles have always been considered essential parenting gear - not cause for alarm. But so much has been written about the safety of baby bottles over the last six months, it's no wonder new and expectant parents are anxious and confused.
Here's a look at the ongoing controversy and what you can do to ease your concerns.
Warnings and a Lab Report
Last fall, consumer and environmental groups began issuing public warnings about Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates, chemicals used to make baby bottles and other plastic containers. The chemicals, the groups said, could be leeching into beverages in the bottles and harming young children.
In April, the federally run National Toxicology Program issued a draft report on the source of the groups' concern. The report stated that animal studies involving rats fed or injected with low doses of BPA found precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems and early onset of puberty in females. While the program's scientists, who hail from the national Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the Institutes of Health, stressed that the possibility of BPA's harmful effects on humans can't be dismissed, they said the findings offer only a "limited amount of evidence" and should not be cause for alarm.
Responding to rising concern, however, Canada considered banning BPA in baby bottles. Some retailers, including Wal-Mart, announced that they would withdraw baby products made with BPA. And bottle manufacturers Nalgene, which makes sports bottles, and Playtex both announced that they'll discontinue using BPA in their products.
Michael Shannon, M.D., head of the Division of Emergency Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston, says different types of baby bottles can contain either BPA or phthalates. Clear, hard plastic bottles tend to contain some BPA, he says, while plastic bottles or plastic liners may have phthalates.
Both BPA and phthalates belong to a group of chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, which "seem to be able to mimic the effect of our bodies' own hormones," Shannon says on the hospital's Web site. "There is a potential for taking in a substance, taking in a chemical that starts to change how your body is functioning." But Shannon stresses that there is still no evidence that BPA or phthalates have caused problems in humans. Studies are ongoing.
What to Do While the Jury is Out
