Inside Fatherhood

Plastic baby bottles found to leach chemicals into contents

by Bill on February 7th, 2008

Baby’s Toxic Bottle (PDF), a recent report found that numerous types of baby bottles leach bisphenol A (BPA) into their contents when heated. BPA which is used in the production of polycarbonate plastic, was found to leach into bottle contents in levels that were “shown to cause harm in animal studies. Obesity, cancer, early-onset puberty and other conditions have been linked to BPA in animal experiments.”

The worst offender was Dr. Brown’s, who ironically has the tag line “it’s a natural.”

The report recommends taking these steps to reduce exposure to BPA:

* Use glass or polypropylene bottles (the #5 plastic) instead of polycarbonate, which is hard, shiny, clear or tinted plastic.
* Do not use harsh detergents on polycarbonate bottles, or put bottles in the dishwasher. Use warm soapy water and a sponge.
* Avoid heating foods in polycarbonate containers as BPA tends to leach faster at higher temperatures. Instead, use glass or ceramic containers.
* Cut consumption of canned foods and beverages to reduce exposure to BPA from the interior coating of the container.

From MarketWatch.com:

The study, which focused on six major brands of baby bottles sold in the United States and Canada, found that bisphenol A, used to make polycarbonate plastic, was given off by heated bottles in amounts that were within the range shown to cause harm in animal studies. Obesity, cancer, early-onset puberty and other conditions have been linked to BPA in animal experiments.

For the U.S., when bottles were heated from brands Avent, Disney/The First Years, Dr. Brown’s and Evenflo, BPA was found to have leached at various levels. The Dr. Brown’s bottles had the overall highest average BPA leaching, according to the report, while the Avent brand bottles had the lowest. A spokesman for Dr. Brown’s declined to comment due to pending litigation against baby-bottle manufacturers.

For U.S. testing, 10 bottles in total were used, purchased in nine states from stores such as Target and Babies ‘R’ Us. The bottles were heated to 80 degrees Celsius to simulate multiple washings, and the effect of detergent.

“The test results of our study indicate that the United States’ current lack of regulation of bisphenol A exposes infants and children to potentially dangerous levels of this unnecessary toxic chemical,” according to the report.

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