This has been a hot topic in America for some time and in December last year San Francisco was the first state to ban the sale of baby feeding bottles that contain the chemical Bisphenol-A. Since then the debate has escalated as the US media uncovered the story that the baby bottle manufacturers have tried to keep hidden.
Because of their body weight, children are far more susceptible to adverse affects from chemical exposures than adults, even at very low doses, with children under the age of three being the most vulnerable.
Bisphenol-A, also known as BPA is used in the making of poly-carbonate bottles, plastic food and drink packaging and is known to cause neurological and hormonal damage to animals.
Lab tests have proven that when baby bottles are heated, as many parents do to warm formula or breast milk, potentially dangerous levels of BPA leach into the liquid. While industry leaders continue to defend the use of BPA, it has been linked by scientists to cancers, impaired immune function, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes, hyperactivity and possibly autism.
Environmentalists are calling for clearer labeling by manufacturers whose baby products contain BPA, so that parents can make an informed decision before purchasing equipment that could pose a potential long term danger to their child.
“It’s really a child safety issue,” says Robert Freudmann, spokesperson for BornFree “it’s important because most parents aren’t aware that baby bottles, teething rings, and other baby products may be harmful, and that there are now safe alternatives available in the UK.”
After their ban on the use of harmful phthalates in children’s toys in 2005, the EU is also re-evaluating the use of bisphenol-A in children's products. In the meantime, parents can take steps of their own:
- Don't microwave food or milk for your child in plastic containers or bottles as heat degrades plastic, releasing chemicals (use glass).
- Use filtered drinking water (even bottled water may contain phthalates)
- Dispose of all clear, shiny plastic baby bottles, unless the manufacturer state that they are not made of polycarbonate (which is made from bisphenol A)
Of course the leading baby products manufacturers who use BPA in their plastic baby bottles could simply choose to remove these harmful chemicals, but by doing so they would be opening themselves to a potential barrage of lawsuits as parents realise that they have potentially been slowly poisoning their children.
BornFree™ produce a full range of Bisphenol-A free feeding bottles, cups and teats.
www.bornfree.co.uk.
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