A recent report has parents throughout the country concerned about the well being of their infants. The study found that the chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), commonly found in all types of plastic containers, including baby bottles, could be potentially harmful. Researchers say that BPA can be linked to obesity, diabetes, and developmental problems in laboratory tests on animals. BPA is used in over 95 percent of all plastic baby bottles and when heated the chemical can be released at elevated rates. This news has numerous environmental health organizations calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of BPA.
Governmental authorities, including the FDA, have had a less concerned approach to the recent report. Most of their experts seem to believe that the amount of exposure to BPA would have to be much greater than that of a baby bottle to produce an adverse effect.
“Polycarbonate plastic baby bottles have been safely used for decades, says Steve Hentges of the American Chemical Council. “There’s an extraordinary amount of science that supports the safety of those products.”
The general consensus is that any threat posed by BPA in baby bottles is very small, but some physicians are urging parents to err on the side of caution, by using glass bottles or bottles marked “BPA-free.”
The FDA is reviewing the safety of BPA.
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