| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2009 4:45 pm |
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Baby bottle brouhaha: Parents, scientists question safety of commonly used plastic Polycarbonate has long been a prized plastic for making baby bottles.It's a tough, lightweight, long-lasting material that can withstand high heat, even boiling water. Campers have relied on indestructible polycarbonate bottles from companies such as Nalgene for decades. Office water coolers are typically stocked with clear blue polycarbonate jugs. Some consumers, however, have fallen out of love with the bulletproof, clean-looking plastic, typically marked by a No. 7 recycling symbol. Recent studies have shown the reusable plastic can leach bisphenol A, a chemical used in manufacturing that mimics the hormone estrogen. Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, is common in a variety of household products, including food packaging, CDs, electronic equipment, automobiles and sports equipment. It's baby bottles, however, and infant exposure to the common chemical, that have many parents, scientists and regulatory agencies debating the food safety of polycarbonate. Consumer organizations such as the Environmental Working Group have urged parents to steer clear of polycarbonate baby bottles in favor of glass. The Food and Drug Administration has said repeatedly that polycarbonate is food-safe and that BPA leaching levels are miniscule, far too low to affect human health. Heather Harwood of Mukilteo has heard about BPA. To her, it's one of many chemicals associated with a long list of plastic products. Despite the fact that many such scientific studies are inconclusive, Harwood and her husband, Pete, are trying to wean their household, including their 2-year-old daughter, Lena, off all plastics related to their food and water supply. Lena, thanks to breastfeeding, has never known a plastic bottle. Though Lena used to use plastic sippy cups, Harwood has been collecting stainless steel and aluminum water bottles and glass food storage containers. "Knowing what transfers or leaches from plastic into the foods and liquids we ingest makes it difficult for me to fill up a plastic container and hand it to my kid," Harwood said. "I just can't justify feeding toxins to my family in order to save a little money." Major baby bottle brands, meanwhile, are touting alternatives to polycarbonate. Earlier this year, the Handi-Craft Co., maker of the Dr. Brown's line of polycarbonate bottles, introduced a line of glass baby bottles. The Babies "R" Us store at Alderwood has since dedicated an entire aisle-end display to the new line, in addition to a large section of Born Free products, another company offering BPA-free products, including glass and plastic bottles and sippy cups made with other plastics. Some parents have switched to disposable baby bottle liners made with polyethylene, the same plastic used for soda pop bottles. There's a lot of money to be made by manufacturers, especially among families who might replace their collections of existing bottles with bottles that often cost more than twice the price of polycarbonate. Many parents are wondering if making changes would be worth the effort and, in the case of glass, the risk of injury. Dr. Sara Tamarin, a pediatrician with the Everett Clinic at Mill Creek, said she wants to see more research. "At this point, I don't think that anybody needs to be alarmed," she said. "I'm not dismissing it. I just think there is not enough to tell us that it's a major concern." There's little question humans are being exposed to BPA. Scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected BPA in the urine of nearly 93 percent of 2,517 people age 6 and older who were tested. Children had the highest levels, followed by teens and female adults, then males. "I think the question remains: What is the actual effect?" Tamarin said. Studies on the effects of BPA have focused primarily on laboratory rodents, which have exhibited reproductive problems when exposed to high levels of BPA. Just how much BPA is coming from food containers and what effects there might be on humans is up for debate. In 2007, a panel with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences issued a report on BPA that expressed moderate concern about in utero exposure to BPA because of possible "neural and behavioral effects." The institute panel also expressed "minimal concern" that exposure to BPA "potentially causes accelerations in puberty." This summer, the group is expected to come out with another BPA statement. Tamarin said she'll be checking out that statement, but right now she is not recommending anyone replace their baby bottles and sippy cups with BPA-free materials. What's more important is that parents use prudent practices when using any kind of plastic. "One thing that has been shown is the chemical BPA is more likely to leach out into the liquid when the bottle is heated in the microwave," Tamarin said, adding that microwaves often cause uneven heating. If parents want to heat milk or formula up in the bottle, they should put it in a hot water bath. Parents should avoid using harsh detergents in the dishwasher and should replace bottles that appear worn, cracked or foggy, Tamarin said. Harwood said the potential exposure to chemicals isn't the only reason she and her family are avoiding plastics. It's also an environmental issue. "The amount of petroleum used to manufacture many of the disposable products in our homes is unacceptable, and the number of plastic water bottles alone that end up in landfills in this country is staggering," she said. "This has opened a great dialogue in our family about conservation, and the effects are apparent daily in our home. "And, of course, Lena loves to decorate her bottle with stickers," Harwood said of her daughter's metal sport-top water bottle. "That's always fun." Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com. Going green? Check out her Eco Geek blog, covering recycling, sustainable living, the local-food movement and eco-friendly products: http://www.heraldnet.com/ecogeek |
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