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Canadian Stores Stop Sale of Baby Bottles after Health Warning
April 21, 2008 01:41 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The National Toxicology Program issued a report saying there is concern about the safety of bisphenol A, found in many plastics, including baby bottles.
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Health Canada may ban bisphenol A, a chemical it has labeled dangerous, from baby bottles, according to the Associated Press. Large retailers in Canada have already begun taking bottles made with BPA from store shelves there.
The country’s action comes on the heels of an announcement by the United States’ National Toxicology Program that there is “some concern” that low levels of BPA, which is commonly found in hard plastic, could be harmful to young children and fetuses, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Anila Jacobs, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, told the Times the study “reflects a significant body of science showing that BPA may play a larger role than previously thought in a host of common health problems, including prostate cancer, breast cancer and early puberty.”
BPA is found in hard plastic baby bottles and the lining of some food containers. When the plastics are heated, the chemical can come out of the plastic and go into the food or liquids. Using glass containers or avoiding food cartons with BPA can help keep it out of the body.
The new report has left some, like Julie Deardorff, a mother of two, wondering “what now?” Others think the BPA fears and the Canadian governments’ actions are overblown.
Even before the NTP report, some researchers were exploring whether BPA could be linked to obesity.
The country’s action comes on the heels of an announcement by the United States’ National Toxicology Program that there is “some concern” that low levels of BPA, which is commonly found in hard plastic, could be harmful to young children and fetuses, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Anila Jacobs, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, told the Times the study “reflects a significant body of science showing that BPA may play a larger role than previously thought in a host of common health problems, including prostate cancer, breast cancer and early puberty.”
BPA is found in hard plastic baby bottles and the lining of some food containers. When the plastics are heated, the chemical can come out of the plastic and go into the food or liquids. Using glass containers or avoiding food cartons with BPA can help keep it out of the body.
The new report has left some, like Julie Deardorff, a mother of two, wondering “what now?” Others think the BPA fears and the Canadian governments’ actions are overblown.
Even before the NTP report, some researchers were exploring whether BPA could be linked to obesity.
Headline Links: ‘Chemical in Plastic May Harm Human Growth’
BPA is found in many places around us. The United States produces six million pounds of it each year for use in eyeglasses, DVDs, food can liners and other products.
Source: Associated Press
From the American Chemistry Council’s perspective, the NTP report’s preliminary nature provides “reassurance that consumers can continue to use products made from bisphenol A,” according to the Los Angeles Times. “The limited evidence for effects in laboratory animals at low doses primarily highlights opportunities for additional research to better understand whether these findings are of any significance to human health,” Stephen Hentges said.
Source: LA Times
Avoiding BPA can be challenging, according to the Washington Post, but some advice includes washing hard plastic bottles by hand, not in the dishwasher; eating more fresh or frozen foods to avoid the BPA found in canned food linings, and using polycarbonate plastic bottles for cold or room-temperature fluids only.
Source: Washington Post (free registration may be required)
Reference: National Toxicology Program report
“The NTP concurs with the conclusion of the CERHR Expert Panel on Bisphenol A that there is some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures. The NTP also has some concern for bisphenol A exposure in these populations based on effects in the prostate gland, mammary gland, and an earlier age for puberty in females,” according to the draft report.
Source: National Toxicology Program
Reactions: ‘Now they tell us,’ and ‘government is overreacting’
Julie Deardorff, a mother of two, said she started using plastic baby bottles three years ago. “At the time, it never dawned on me that baby bottles, of all things, would leach a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) into the breast milk. I never suspected that when my day care provider heated the bottle and accidentally melted the top that even more BPA would be released. And I never dreamed the federal government would find that exposure to this chemical poses a health risk, especially to fetuses, infants and children.”
Source: Julie’s Health Club
John Reynolds at the blog Grey Canada says the Canadian government “is going too far with respect to bisphenol A,” and the media isn’t telling the whole story. “I don't know why environmentalists are worried about traces being leached off the bottles,” he wrote, adding that BPA comes out of bottles that are heated in dishwashers with harsh chemicals. “There are not many dishwashers out in the wild to worry about.”
Source: Grey Canada
Related: Plastics and a link to obesity?
A predisposition to obesity was just one of the health problems researchers have linked to BPA. Before the National Toxicology Program report was issued, some were already calling for a ban on using BPA in bottles and food containers.
Source: findingDulcinea
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