The Quick Facts: Controversy about the safety of products made with the chemical bisphenol-A has heated up with the announcement by Canada in April 2008 to ban baby bottles containing the substance. Disagreement exists between industry-funded studies and government studies as to whether there are negative health effects from exposure. Avoiding such exposure even if there is not certainty of harm may be the best course of action, particularly for infants and small children.
A controversy exists about the safety of plastic toys, water bottles, and food containers containing the chemical bisphenol-A (’BPA’). Industry-funded studies claim that there are no harmful effects of BPA, while government-funded low-dose studies have found harmful effects. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (’FDA’) reaffirmed a finding that products containing BPA are safe, even for infants and children. This conflicting information leaves consumers puzzled as to whether they should keep, or clear, their cupboards of plastic polycarbonate products.
The Problem
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are those labeled with a #7 universal recycling symbol on the bottom. Polycarbonate plastics containing BPA include food and drink packaging such as water and infant bottles, and CDs. Epoxy resins containing BPA are used as lacquers to coat metal products such as food cans, bottle tops, and water supply lines.
Recent studies have found that animals exposed to low-doses of BPA experience harmful health effects, including: early onset of puberty; changes in hormones; increased prostate size; decreased sperm production; and breast tissue changes that resemble early stages of breast cancer in mice and humans. One study of BPA in humans found that women with a history of recurrent miscarriages had three times the levels of BPA in their blood compared to women without a miscarriage history.
Despite these animal studies linking BPA to developmental changes and infertility, the plastics industry vigorously defends the chemical by noting it has been used widely for 50 years.
Human Exposure
People are exposed to BPA primarily through diet. BPA can migrate into food from food and beverage containers with internal epoxy resin coatings and from consumer products made with polycarbonate plastics, including tableware, food containers, water bottles, and baby bottles. Polycarbonate can leach BPA when heated, washed, or exposed to acidic foods. The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend on the temperature of the liquid or bottle and/or the age of the container.
The 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found detectable levels of BPA in 93% of 2517 urine samples from people six years and older. In addition, BPA has been found in breast milk.
Growing children are particularly at risk from BPA exposure because they face greater exposure per pound of body weight. As much as we try to shield children from harm, their exposure begins at conception since chemicals cross the placenta in a pregnant woman’s body and can affect the embryo or fetus during critical periods of development. After birth, children’s bodies remain immature, with underdeveloped detoxification mechanisms to protect them from chemicals, including BPA.
Recent Recognition of BPA Dangers
Although awareness of the potential dangers of BPA have been around for some time (see Real Mama’s Winter 2005 article Plastics and Children: Friend or Foe, the issue was highlighted again in April 2008 when Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement announced that Canada intended to ban the import, sale, and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles containing BPA due to safety concerns. Although Health Canada had concluded that human exposures were not unsafe, it determined that the current safety margin needed to be higher for newborns and infants due to the sensitivity in early development to BPA.
Simultaneously, Wal-Mart announced that it was stopping sales in all its Canadian stores of food containers, water and baby bottles, sippy cups and pacifiers containing BPA and that a phase out of baby bottles would occur in the U.S. by early 2009. Also, Nalgene and Toy-R-Us both announced that they would stop using BPA in their products and would stop selling baby bottles made with BPA.
Currently, in the United States, 10 states have legislation pending that would affect the use of BPA. Federal legislation has been proposed by Senator Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would ban BPA nationally from products for infants. Representative Markey (D-MA) introduced a bill in June entitled ‘The Ban Poisonous Additives Act’ that would remove BPA from food containers of canned infant formula and other foods marketed to children.
Meanwhile, the FDA has maintained that it does not consider normal exposure to BPA to be a hazard and that it considers BPA to be safe. Still, it agreed to revisit that opinion following a report by the federal National Toxicology Program (NTP) (an arm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a partnership of federal health agencies) that said there was “some concern” with BPA because current human exposures resulted in “neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children”, as well as “effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females.” An April 2008 report by the NIH concluded that: there is some concern that fetuses, infants and children exposed to BPA may be at increased risk for early-onset puberty and prostate and breast cancer; but there is no direct evidence that exposure to BPA adversely affects reproduction or development in humans. Nevertheless, in August, FDA released a draft finding concurring with its previous opinion that the chemical is safe. It will make its final decision after an advisory panel on the issues is convened in September 2008.
The Solution
Although there is no consensus as to the potential harm BPA may cause, the personal choices you make can reduce you and your children’s exposure to BPA. Instituting these changes may give you piece of mind until such time as there is a definitive answer about BPA exposure and kids health.
Baby Products
- Many baby bottles contain BPA. Use BPA-free baby bottles; glass baby bottles; or disposable plastic inserts which are made of polyethylene.
- Use BPA-free nipples and pacifiers that are made of silicone or natural rubber.
- If you cannot avoid use of polycarbonate bottles or sippy cups, you can minimize leaching by discarding old or scratched baby bottles and sippy cups and by heating foods and drinks outside of the plastic then transferring into the plastic when cool enough to drink.
- Canned infant formula could expose infants to as much as 10 times more BPA than from plastic bottles. Check to see whether the brand you use has been exposed to BPA.
(See http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-on-bpa-in-infant-care-products.html for a list of companies, baby bottles, infant formula, and products with their corresponding use of BPA for specific brand name information.)
Plastic Bottles & Food Storage Containers
- When possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.
- Don’t microwave polycarbonate plastic (#7 universal recycling symbol). Polycarbonate is strong and durable, but over time it may break down from over use at high temperatures.
- - If you already own polycarbonate bottles, wash them by hand with mild dishwashing soap and not in the dishwasher to avoid degrading the plastic and increasing leaching of BPA. Look for cracks or cloudiness and discard old or scratched bottles.
Food
- Eat fresh foods in season or buy and can your own fruits and vegetables in safe glass jars.
- Reduce your use of canned foods or choose canned foods from makers who don’t use BPA, such as Eden Foods (www.edenfoods.com), which sells certified organic canned beans and other foods.
- Choose prepared foods such as soups, milk and ravioli that are packaged in cardboard “brick” cartons made of safer layers of aluminum and polyethylene.
Information used in this article was found at the following sources, which you can visit if you want to find out more about this topic:
http://www.environmentalobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=77083 (Fact sheet by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, that promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy detailing “Smart Plastics Guide, Healthier Food Uses of Plastics, For Parents and Children”)
http://www.bisphenol-a.org (Website is sponsored by the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group, which is organized regionally at the American Chemistry Council, PlasticsEurope, and the Japan Chemical Industry Association)
http://www.environmentalcalifornia.org/environmental-health/stop-toxic-toys/bisphenol-a-overview%20 (The Environment California Research and Policy Center is a nonprofit corporation focusing exclusively on protecting California’s air, water, and open spaces)
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-on-bpa-in-infant-care-products.html (Environmental Working Group list of companies and brand name products and their corresponding potential BPA exposure)
http://www.cspinet.org/nah/bpa.html (Information on BPA from Nutrition Action Health Letter)
