“Hitting the Bottle”

Just say no

Similar to the author of this article, I have been shopping for friend’s baby showers and in the past all the wee ones that my siblings produced. It was good seeing all the BPA- free items and toys that were earth friendly plus non-toxic. It is quite humorous that I mostly went to specialty shops for healthy baby products…this should not be a specialty item! Since most people have given up the ancient ways of sacrificing first born, sending them down stream in a basket or exposure on hillsides; I feel we should also stop giving them toxins too.

We love and protect our little ones. So, why are healthy baby products not the norm? Profit and ignorance are the only two thoughts that stay in the non-conspiracy theory realm, but I am sure there are some crazy ideas out there. This article is to help enlighten, so we can go forth and change what is on the shelves of the shops. (For safe bottles: http://www.ewg.org/babysafebottles)

By DOMINIQUE BROWNING

SUDDENLY, there’s a baby boom going on around me. I’m making weekly shopping trips to stock friends’ nurseries, and I’m struck by how many signs on the shelves advertise BPA-free bottles, BPA-free sippy cups. It breaks my heart. Manufacturers might be removing BPA, a chemical used to harden certain plastics, from their products, but they are substituting chemicals that may be just as dangerous, if not more so.

“BPA-free” seems like a step in the right direction. BPA, or Bisphenol A, is a synthetic estrogen that disrupts normal endocrine function. There is growing evidence in animal studies that exposure during fetal growth affects the development of reproductive systems and, in offspring, can lead to neurological problems. BPA has also been linked to prostate and breast cancer.”

BPA has been found on money, likely transferred from credit card and A.T.M. receipts printed on thermal paper that contains BPA; it’s also in dental sealants, in the lining of food cans, and in many other items.

Because the federal government has taken no action to ban or even limit BPA, some states have taken matters into their own hands. Maine just approved a ban on BPA in reusable food and beverage containers that will go into effect next year; Oregon is considering banning it in sippy cups and baby bottles.

In apparent recognition of the consumer clout new parents wield, some manufacturers have stopped using BPA. You would think this proves the marketplace can take care of these problems, right?

Wrong. Consider the thermal paper that comes out of cash registers. Its BPA passes through the skin into the bodies of anyone who works at check-out counters, as well as their customers. Appleton, a specialty paper company, markets a BPA-free thermal paper that uses Bisphenol S instead. The Environmental Protection Agency has a voluntary program that is evaluating BPS and 17 other possible substitutes for thermal paper, but has not yet completed its analysis. Until it does, it will not endorse any alternatives.

In the few, limited tests conducted outside the United States, BPS shows estrogenic activity — not as strong as BPA, but not a good sign. BPS is now used in the United States to make PES (polyethersulfone) plastic. Some baby bottles marketed as BPA-free use PES plastic.

Want to Read more http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/opinion/09browning.html?ref=opinion