Canada Finds the Toxin BPA in “BPA-Free” Baby BottlesAn award-winning "BPA-free" baby bottle contained the highest traces of the toxic chemical when Health Canada tested for leaching into water, according to newly released test results.
As we've all heard umpteen times by now, there is evidence that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may cause health problems. In January 2009 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Americans should avoid plastics with the chemical BPA. After that announcement we reviewed 12 BPA-free baby bottles.
But, Canada has been more proactive than the American government and has banned plastic baby bottles with BPA after concluding the chemical is toxic. Here in the U.S., several state governments are considering ways to restrict its use. Some major retailers also have pulled BPA-containing products from their shelves.
Below is an article showing that some of the bottles we reviewed that are labeled “BPA-free” actually have the chemical in the product! After reading of these studies we recommend just switching to glass baby bottles to be sure you are avoiding BPA. Why risk the health of your baby or charge?
OTTAWA — An award-winning "BPA-free" baby bottle contained the highest traces of the toxic chemical when Health Canada tested for leaching into water, according to newly released test results.
Dr. Brown's Natural Flow bottle, described as a product "parents can't live without" for the past five years by the influential magazine American Baby, showed trace amounts of 0.9 parts per billion in the water after 238 hours at 60 C.
Other "BPA-free" brands with detectable levels under these conditions, ranging from 0.002 to 0.025 part per billion, included Gerber, Medela, Whittlestone, Nuby and a house brand sold at a dollar store in Canada.
There were no detectable levels found in the BornFree and Thinkbaby bottles after 238 hours. The Green to Grow brand was not analyzed at the 238-hour mark after Health Canada found no detectable levels after 94 hours.
Thinkbaby bottles showed no detectable levels after two hours, 22 hours and 94 hours, while BornFree showed minute traces at the two-hour mark, but came up completely clean after that.
Health Canada did not include the Adiri Natural Nurser bottle — pitched to parents as "100 per cent BPA free" — in the water migration survey.
But in a second test using ten per cent ethanol, Health Canada found three bottles with detectable levels of the chemical in one of the four time-specified readings — Adiri, Dr. Brown and Whittlestone.
Health Canada released the detailed breakdown of the results after a barrage of criticism in the past week from consumer advocates and bottle manufacturers, demanding transparency and questioning the veracity of the test results. But the release has only raised more questions about the study.
The aim of the study, conducted last year after Health Canada announced an imminent ban on polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, was to compare the levels of BPA migrating from polycarbonate baby bottles to those made from substitutes, under real-life conditions used by parents.
The study found much higher readings of leaching among the polycarbonate bottles — reaching 59.92 part per billion after 238 hours.
By then, the market had already been flooded with "BPA-free" alternatives made of substitute plastics without any bisphenol A, which were pitched as an option for parents concerned about the health risks associated with the newly labelled toxin.
The test results surprised Health Canada scientists involved, according to records released to under the Access to Information Act.
"This bottle is labelled polypropylene, which should contain no BPA," the lead scientist wrote to a colleague, recommending another analysis be done to "verify the claim" and "check more samples."
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I want to curse our US government for not requiring manufacturers to clinically study the effects of their products before selling them!!
ReplyDeleteThis is really disturbing. I mostly breastfeed and did use glass bottles for very occasional use, but what are we supposed to do when we get to the sippy cup
ReplyDeletestage? Not like you can give a toddler a glass? Denver
The baby bottle and sippy cup manufacturers are huge corporate businesses. During an economic recession the US government doesn't want to lose more jobs. Plus these corporations are huge lobbyists for politicians. The US government bowed down to cigarette manufactureres for years. There is too much red tape for the US to get something like BPA off our market.
ReplyDeleteThe Canadian's protect their citizens with healthcare, childcare, and toxins. Bravo to them for getting toxic BPA off the market. Boo to us for all the problems we cannot solve!
At my job we are using avent bottles and I like their wide neck and easy to pour and easy to hold design. But these articles and media attention on bpa has me scared. Should we even be using the sterilizer since heating up plastic is the concern!!?? The parents switched from individual water bottles because they leach chemicals but now we KNOW IT IS A FACT that bpa leaches from other food containers. I read on this blog from a nanny we shouldn't dry platics in dishwasher. Very upsetting. I wish parents would switch to glass bottles but they are not taking my concerns seriously. I suppose since we were raised on bpa they feel it's ok. But all the health problems we see today that did not exist 100 years ago has me thinking back to basics: glass, cook orgainc, avoid processed foods, etc...
ReplyDeleteI am really upset about this topic too. I did show the parents these articles but they are still microwaving platics. All I can think of as advice to frustrated nannies or parents is that change happens one step at a time. How long have we been told to avoid McDonald's while the kids still eat their happy meal nuggets and french fries? You can personally make the changes yourself. Make changes takes slower when working for someone else.
ReplyDeleteMaryEllen in Denver