bpa

Where To Find Baby Bottles Without BPA -- and Formula and Pacifiers, Too

BPA in Dental Plastic: Are the Fillings in your Teeth Dangerous?

BPA: Plastic Products that Are BPA-Free

susan — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The response to the series of stories we have run about BPA in your water bottle, and in cans, baby formula and baby bottles has been immense. Now people are asking us to pull together in one place useful links for finding BPA-free plastic and other products. So here is where you can go online to stay BPA- free and keep yourself and your family safe and healthy.

Water Bottles

Stainless steel bottles from Klean Kanteen

Copolyester Camelbak from Eastman

SIGG

A variety of BPA-free bottles from The Water Geeks.

Stainless steel bottles from Guyot Designs.

RiverWired article on avoiding BPA in plastics.

Cans that are BPA-free

Eden Foods

RiverWired article on avoiding BPA in canned food.

Baby Bottles and Products

Silicone bottles from Silikids.

The Soft Landing

The Adiri Natural Nurser

Born Free

Nurture Pure

The Boon No Spill Sippy Cup

Think Baby

Diapers Etc.

Glass Bottles at Natural Baby

Weego bottle covers from Baby Life

List of recommended BPA-free bottles from Safe Mama.

The Razz-Berry silicone teether

The Natursutta pacifier

Eco Piggy

Baby food cubes from One Step Ahead

Lunch boxes from Laptop Lunches

Munchkin

More baby product recommendations from Nature Moms.

Baby Formula

Powdererd formula from Nestle (generally speaking, powdered is safer than liquid formula when it comes to BPA)

Formula recommendations from Enviroblog.

Study by the Environmental Working Group.

For more information on BPA, check out these stories:

Your BPA Questions, Answered

BPA: The Dangers of Canned Food May Be Greater Than Plastics

Where to Find Baby Bottles Without BPA -- and Formula and Pacifiers, Too

BPA in Dental Plastic: Are the Fillings in your Teeth Dangerous?

Where To Find Baby Bottles Without BPA -- and Formula and Pacifers, Too

scleaver — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

We’ve gotten quite a response from the BPA-related articles, and everybody wants to know where to get BPA free formula, bottles, and baby products, and fast. So, here’s our guide to products that are practical, adorable, and, best of all, BPA-free.

Baby Formula

When it comes to baby formula, the Enviroblog recommends powdered—BPA is in the lining of aluminum baby formula cans and ready-to-feed baby formula that’s not diluted before feeding has the highest levels of BPA. The Environmental Working Group surveyed five baby formula companies in the U.S. and four (Nestle, Similac, Enfamil, and PBM) said that BPA is in the lining of the cans that hold their formula. BPA is also in metal in the powdered formula containers, but powdered is a better choice. According to the EWG, “babies fed reconstituted powder formula likely received 8 to 20 times less BPA than those fed liquid formula from a metal can.”

So, shopping for baby formula, the key is to reduce your risk. Enfamil and Similac powdered formula are sold in cardboard and metal cans that have less BPA. If you’re buying liquid formula, go for concentrate rather than ready-to-eat because adding the water to dilute it will reduce the BPA exposure.

Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups

When you’re buying bottles and cups, there are tons of BPA free options to choose from. And good thing too, because BPA can leach from plastic baby bottles into milk or other liquids that your baby drinks. General advice: stay away from bottles that are marked with the number seven, and use clear silicone nipples. Warm bottles in a pan filled with water, not the microwave, which cause chemicals to release into the milk and can heat unevenly.

Buy glass bottles if you can (Silikids and The Soft Landing both sell safe glass bottle covers). In the store, Playtex, Gerber, and Parent’s Choice (in Wal-Mart) all have BPA free bottle options (look for the BPA free labels and assume a plastic product has BPAs unless the packaging says otherwise). And, there are a host of newer companies with safe bottles and sippy cups:

The Adiri Natural Nurser is a uniquely designed bottle.

Born Free has bottles, nipples, trainer cups, and drinking cups for infants and toddlers.

Nurture Pure sells bottles and cups.

The Boon No Spill Sippy Cup is a two-piece sippy cup with a creative design.

Think Baby has a whole line of safe plastic baby bottles, covers, and nipples.

Get a full list of BPA free baby bottles recommended by Safe Mama at Amazon.com.

Pacifiers and More

Pacifiers are another product that end up in baby’s mouth and should be as safe as possible, and then there are all the other little plastic products (storage containers, spoons, etc) that you need to keep baby well fed. Here are some online shopping options to choose from:

The Razz Berry pacifier is all natural and designed to soothe teething babies.

The Natursutta pacifier is made of natural rubber without any nasty plastics or artificial colors.

Eco Piggy has all natural pacifiers, clothing, and other products.

One Step Ahead has a storage system of small plastic containers to store your homemade baby food, or just the leftovers.

For older kids (or you) Laptop Lunches is a lunch storage system that’s designed like a Bento Box.

Browse Munchkin for safe pacifiers, snack containers, and more.

For more baby recommendations, visit the Nature Moms blog.

Photo credit: the Razz Berry pacifier from Amazon.com

For more information on BPA, check out these stories:

BPA: The Dangers of Canned Food May Be Greater Than Plastics

BPA in Dental Plastic: Are the Fillings in your Teeth Dangerous?

BPA: The Dangers of Canned Foods May Be Greater Than Plastics

susan — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:00:00 -0400

The headlines have focused on the dangers of BPA (bisphenol-A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical) in plastics. But it turns out that the BPA in the plastic lining of canned foods may pose even greater dangers.

Many canned foods are lined with a plastic coating (it looks like a solid lining) made from BPA, which can leach into the food. The longer a can sits on your shelf, the more BPA is likely to leach out.

The highest levels of BPA were found in canned pasta and soups, according to a report last year by the Environmental Working Group, . a nonprofit research group based in Washington, D.C.

“Independent laboratory tests found a toxic food-can lining ingredient associated with birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems in over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned goods,” according to the EWG’s report.

Which specific canned foods were the most dangerous?

Chicken soup, infant formula, and ravioli came out highest in risk, according to the EWG. “Just one to three servings of foods with these concentrations could expose a woman or child to BPA at levels that caused serious adverse effects in animal tests,” according to the report.

About 17% of the average American diet consists of canned foods, according to Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) estimates. EWG reports that the last time the FDA examined BPA exposures from food was in 1996 -- but they failed to set a safety standard.

What Can You DO?

· Cut down on canned foods -- eat fresh foods instead. Save the canned stuff for emergencies.

· 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 soups in cardboard cartons (such as those by Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc) which are made of safer layers of aluminum and polyethylene (#2) and are also recyclable. Or buy foods packaged in glass jars.

Background on BPA: Why Worry?

BPA, or bisphenol-A, has been linked to various cancers (breast and prostate cancer), early onset puberty, Type II diabetes and neurobehavioral changes in offspring exposed in the womb, according to the EWG. This chemical, used in many plastics, such as polycarbonate plastic (hard, colored water bottles and water coolers) and the lining of most food and beverage cans, leaches into foods. Even more of the chemical is released when it's heated. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control found BPA in the bodies of 93 percent of the people they tested.

For more information on BPA, check out these stories:

Where to Find Baby Bottles Without BPA -- and Formula and Pacifiers, Too

BPA in Dental Plastic: Are the Fillings in your Teeth Dangerous?

Where to Find BPA-Free Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups

scleaver — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:13:05 -0400

There's bad news and good news on BPA in plastic baby products, like bottles and sippy cups.

The bad news: BPA, bisphenol-A, a chemical found in plastics -- including baby bottles and sippy cups -- is linked to “changes in behavior and the brain” including hyperactivity and cancer, according to an Associated Press article in The Wall Street Journal, “Companies Move to Curb Risk From Chemical BPA. BPA doesn’t stay put; instead, it leaches into liquids and foods, creating obvious concern for parents.

The good news for babies everywhere: infant companies and retailers are responding to concerns of consumers, scientists and the National Toxicology Program concerns about BPA. On Friday, April 18, Playtex Infant Care announced that they’re converting to BPA-free material by the end of the year, and Wal-Mart is converting its baby bottle selection to BPA free products by 2009.

According to Gary Cohen, Vice President and General Manager at Playtex, “while US and worldwide regulatory bodies continue to deem the ingredient safe, as a leader in infant care products, we are listening to consumer concerns and believe the right thing to do is eliminate any confusion or concern that parents may have. For this reason, we will stop using BPA in our products this year and we offer consumers a chance to immediately switch to BPA-free infant products.”

While companies are busy pulling BPA bottles and replacing them with safer versions, you’ll already find tons of BPA-free products on the shelves. When shopping, however, remember that this BPA risk extends to many plastic products, not just bottles and sippy cups, but forks, spoons, pacifiers, and more.

Here’s where to find BPA-free products online:

1. Want to stick with plastic? BPA-free bottles and sippy cups are flying off the shelves at Diapers, Etc a site that also sells BPA-free pacifiers, spoons and forks.

2. Ready to go for glass? Especially in light of recent news, glass bottles are making a comeback. Learn about glass bottle feeding at the Natural Baby Store Web site. Then, grab a safe “Siliskin” plastic covering for your baby’s glass bottle at Calamari Baby, or a cute Wee Go bottle cover at Go Baby Life.

3. Here’s a list of what Playtex products are made of and how safe each is: Playtex Materials Chart.

For more information on BPA, check out these stories:

BPA: The Dangers of Canned Food May Be Greater Than Plastics

Where to Find Baby Bottles Without BPA -- and Formula and Pacifiers, Too

BPA in Dental Plastic: Are the Fillings in your Teeth Dangerous?

Photo credit: from Diapers, Etc.

BPA: 5 Tips to Avoid the Dangers in Plastics

susan — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

You’ve probably seen the news reports about the dangers of chemicals such as BPA (bisphenol-A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical) and others in plastic. Now it’s time for you to do something about it.

I know you’re trying to do the green thing by re-using your plastic water and juice bottles instead of being like 80% of the rest of the world who toss them in the garbage and don’t even recycle.

But cut it out. BPA has been linked to various cancers (breast and prostate cancer), early onset puberty, Type II diabetes and neurobehavioral changes in offspring exposed in the womb. And BPA is not the only danger lurking in your plastic containers.

Here are some simple steps you can take to stay healthy and safe. These tips are advisable for everybody – but especially for those most vulnerable to the effects of these chemicals -- infants and young children, as well as pregnant women or anyone even thinking about getting pregnant.

1. Do not re-use plastic water – or soda or juice -- bottles.

The danger here is not BPA -- these containers do not contain BPA as they are made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate), a petroleum-based material. (Turn them upside-down and look for the number #1 inside the tiny triangle.)

The primary danger is bacteria. With those small mouths, they are almost impossible to wash properly.

Danger Number 2: Once you’ve put those bottles in the dishwasher and they’ve gotten scratched and dented, this degraded bottle allows a trace metal, antimony, to leach into whatever you are drinking, according to one of the leading researchers on plastics, University of Missouri’s Frederick S. vom Saal, in a recent New York Times article.

2. Avoid hard plastic Nalgene containers, made from polycarbonates -- #7 on the bottom.

Yes, those cool, colorful, rigid transparent plastic bottles that are labeled Number 7 – or PC on the bottom -- contain BPA. This plastic is also used for hard plastic baby bottles, toddlers’ sippy cups, 5 gallon water cooler bottles, plastic silverware, and Lexan products, according to a report by The Environmental Working Group.

“Some polycarbonate water bottles are marketed as 'non-leaching' for minimizing plastic taste or odor, however there is still a possibility that trace amounts of BPA will migrate from these containers, particularly if used to heat liquids,” according to the EWG.

When possible it is best to avoid #7 plastics, especially for children's food. Plastics with the recycling labels #1, #2 , #4 and #5 on the bottom are safer choices and do not contain BPA.

3. Use stainless steel containers – there’s a sippy cup adapter for toddlers.

And make sure you pick ones that do not have a plastic liner. That plastic liner can contain – you guessed it – BPA.

Here’s a web site – KleanKanteen -- with a selection of stainless steel bottles —one even has a sippy adapter for kids – instead of those plastic sippy cups.

4. Do not microwave or heat foods in plastic containers.

That means any plastic – even if it is a safer variety. When you heat liquids or foods in a plastic container, it causes even more BPA (and possibly other chemicals) to leach out.

Don’t use plastic wrap in the microwave either. Though the American Chemistry Council reports that phthalates stopped being used in any US plastic wraps in 2006, companies aren't required to list what's in their plastic wrap. So why take chances?

Use glass containers in the microwave. And cover with a paper towel or a glass cover.

5. If you must use plastic containers, hand wash them.

For times when you can’t use glass – like when you’re out running or biking – and you must use plastic, at least make sure to wash your bottle by hand. Use a mild dishwashing soap – and do not put it in the dishwasher as this will degrade the plastic and allow more BPA (or trace metals iin the case of single-use pplastic water bottles) to leach out.

For more information on BPA, check out these stories:

BPA: The Dangers of Canned Food May Be Greater Than Plastics

Where to Find Baby Bottles Without BPA -- and Formula and Pacifiers, Too