Report on the Dangers
of Plastic Bottles and BPA

A report in April of 1999 on ABC-TV's 20/20 disclosed an unnerving possibility,-- do the petrochemicals that make up plastic pose health risks to infants and children? As we know, baby bottles are made from plastic, so are teething rings, toys, why even juice liners and the insides of cans, are made from, or coated in, plastic.

Bisphenol A, (or BPA), was the chemical singled out in this particular study, reported on by ABC, and commissioned by the Consumer's Union. BPA, it seems, is a component of polycarbonate, a clear and rigid plastic, that is used in the manufacture of baby bottles.

In laboratory tests, Consumers Union, (the people who put out the Consumer's Report), found that small amounts of the additive BPA leach out of the plastic baby bottles and potentially may end up in babies milk. Although the amount of bisphenol A that ended up in the milk was "small"--one part per billion-- Dr. Edward Groth, a senior scientist at Consumers Union, explained, that even that "small" quantity was "close enough to levels that had" actual "effects on animals. . . . The effect that is of concern here is a disruption of the developmental process. This could affect intelligence. It could affect behavior. It could affect learning ability. It could affect reproductive ability, fertility many years after the exposure occurs."

For more information on BPA, click onto the World Wildlife Fund's detailed article on how bisphenol A is affecting our bodies and our environment.

Or, to view other reports on the same study, click onto www.safetyalerts.com, or the Environmental News Service, or ens.lycos.com.

Hmmm. Y'know, there is something to be said for glass.

KidsOrganics.Com suggests you buy your baby's bottles in glass form.--- Evenflo makes 4 oz. and 8 oz. glass bottles with measurement levels etched clearly on the side---any Babies R Us or Toys R Us will have them.
Warm your baby's natural formula or breastmilk in these instead of plastic.

Also try to buy your juices and water in glass bottles, or plastic bottles with a recycle value of "#5". Bottles with a higher recycle value tend to be made of polypropylene, which is considered a "safer" plastic. But again, we cannot stress enough, opt for glass over plastic.