We are hearing it more and more- plastic bottles are bad. It seems that a chemical, BPA (bisphenol A) found in polycarbonate plastic bottles, is not too good for you. It looks like some of the chemical can actually leach into the liquid. BPA has been shown to cause cancer in rats, as for the human effect, this is still up for debate at this point. From where I stand, the whole rat bit doesn’t look too good. The companies that use BPA-plastic claim it is harmless (of course) but scientists are throwing up warning signs all over about BPA. I am going to err on the side of caution as I have always been a little unsettled when I take a sip of water and there is a smell or taste of plastic- it not only tastes bad but I have wondered if it was bad for me. It also seems that even more of the chemical can get into the liquid if it is hot or boiling. That brings to mind baby bottles- most are made from polycarbonate plastic, and we put pretty warm milk or formula in them- scary.
So we have some options to help reduce our exposure to BPA. I found some companies that make BPA free baby bottles and sippies, Born Free
For the mamas and da’s, there is Sigg
Furthermore, it is a good idea to try to phase out plastic storage (esp. with recycle code #7 on the bottom) and opt for glass storage containers.
For more information on BPA: thegreenguide.com
ZRecs review on BPA free bottles and sippies
Safe Mama Cheat Sheet
The Soft Landing - a guide to non-toxic baby products
BPA Free Bottles
“I just visited my OB on Tuesday and she warned me about new research suggesting that some plastic containers may be dangerous to children. If I remember correctly, plastic containers labeled with #s 1,2,3,5 are OK, whereas plastic containers #’ed 4,6 leach chemicals that are armful to children. I’m not exactly sure what the chemicals do, but I think they may interfere with child development in some way. I will get back to you on that…” -md77
Thanks md77, sorry your comment got stuck in moderation and was unpublished, so I posted it here. From my research 3,6, and 7 are the worst (esp 7 since it is more common than the other two). Good place to check for more info on BPA free bottles for babies are SafeMama, The Soft Landing, Z Recommends (the BlogRoll has even more!)
I just found an amazing article on TheGreenMommy.com. It takes the time to deconstruct the problems with BPA in scientific and understandable lay terms. I have read countless articles that I understand but have a hard time explaining to others. Please read this one to get the best idea why BPA is problematic for us, especially babies and children.