Bisphenol-A and Plastic Baby Bottles

Those of us who are parents of young children know the importance of keeping the little ones away from harmful chemicals. We lock up our household cleaning products or place them in cabinets that are high enough so that the kids can't reach them. But new evidence suggests that we may be exposing our babies to another chemical hazard on a daily basis without even realizing it. Many plastic baby bottles may contain a compound called bisphenol A (BPA) which has been linked to several developmental and reproductive problems. Recently, the Los Angeles-based Environment California Research and Policy Center conducted tests of five popular brands of polycarbonate plastic bottles to determine if BPA migrates into foods and beverages dispensed in plastic containers that are made with BPA. The policy group's researchers found that baby bottles manufactured by Avent, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo, Gerber and Playtex all leached amounts of bisphenol A into baby food at levels which were found to cause damage in laboratory tests on animals. Bisphenol A has been linked to cancer, immune disorders, diabetes, precocious puberty, and hyperactivity.

Plastic infant bottles that are leaching compounds like BPA are likely to become sticky and display a certain cloudiness where formerly clearly transparent. Heating formula in the bottles or cleaning them with harsh dishwashing soaps and hot water is thought to hasten the degradation of the plastic and facilitate migration of BPA into the foods and beverages they hold. Placing highly acidic foods in contact with the plastic containers has also been linked to increased rates of structural breakdown and subsequent BPA leaching.

The type of plastic baby bottles that are most likely to contain BPA are polycarbonate bottles. These can usually be identified by looking at the bottoms of the containers and checking to see if the recycling code # 7 is present.