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I’m the kind of person that reads labels and researches everything. In fact, as I write this I am realizing that I almost never go anywhere, do anything, eat anywhere or buy anything without looking it up online, reading about it and comparing it to other choices. My friends will most certainly agree, as my conversations are often peppered with comments like, “I’ve read about that restaurant or toy, book, movie, random and rarely used kitchen item, etc.” I don’t know how I survived my first twenty plus years of life without the Internet. Clearly, I am a person who needs lots of information. I am a Libra through and through, always seeking balance before making a decision. I like to be informed, darn it! So, that said, you can imagine all of the research that went into planning for and buying the massive quantities of “necessary” baby equipment for the arrival of Darling 1. If you have kids, you know what I mean.
However, in spite all of my research, I was unaware of BPA, or Bisphenol A, lurking in the plastic baby bottles I bought. At the time, there was virtually no mainstream information on the potential hazards of using products made from plastic containing BPA, which was then in most baby bottles, sippy cups and formula cans, as well as other food and beverage containers. As soon as I discovered the potential hazards of this chemical, I replaced all of Darling 1’s BPA-laden bottles with BPA-free cups. Before the arrival of Darling 2, I began once again researching baby equipment for new items that we would surely need. At this time, (Aug./Sept. 2008), the shelves of Target and Babies R Us were not yet stocked with many BPA-free options, and I spent many hours on the Internet trying to find just the right BPA-free bottle for Darling 2. But, it is with great delight that I report that the tide is beginning to turn, and it is now quite easy to find BPA-free containers at retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, REI and Babies R Us. Available options include products from Nalgene, Camelbak, Nuby and Evenflo — to name some of our faves.
So, what is the big deal about BPA? Here’s what I learned from my research: BPA, or Bisphenol A, is a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer, birth defects, infertility in men, early puberty in girls, diabetes and obesity. In most cases, people are exposed to BPA through the leaching of BPA from food and beverage containers. Infants and children are most at risk because their small bodies are still developing. The ill effects from BPA usually appear much later in life. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics, the hard plastic used to make products like baby bottles and sports bottles, not the soft, squeezable plastics such as those used to make mayo or mustard containers. It is also found in the protective lining on the inside of metal-based food and beverage cans. Plastic containers with BPA typically have the number 7 with a PC beside it in the center of the recycling symbol on the bottom of the containers. But if the container does not have the recycling symbol, don’t assume it is free from BPA. Since the 1930s, there have been questions and concerns about whether BPA in food and beverage containers was harmful to people, but it was not until 2008 that studies showing BPA leaches out of baby bottles into heated
