Today's battle cry: Ban BPA in baby feeding bottles

Did you know that this week we’re celebrating World Breastfeeding Action Week? Around the world, this collective frantic cry from children’s health and chemical safety campaigners can be heard: Ban bisphenol A (BPA) in consumer products, particularly in plastic feeding bottles!

BPA is an industrial chemical that’s a major component in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in making plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, food and beverage containers, plastic dinnerware, dental sealants, and the lining of canned foods. It’s made headlines and gained notoriety since studies found it could pose significant health hazards to babies and pregnant women.

A fact sheet on BPA released by the EcoWaste Coalition says that “exposure to BPA and its derivatives comes mostly from contamination of food, as it has been shown to leach from the epoxy linings of canned foods and polycarbonate containers.” The fact sheet further warns, “Fetuses, infants, and children around puberty are most at risk from its effects since their bodies are still growing and developing.”

The September 17, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) dished out this chilling report: Researchers found a significant relationship between BPA and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver-enzyme abnormalities. A study of more than 1,450 people reports: “Adults with the highest BPA were more than twice as likely to have heart disease or diabetes than those with the lowest levels.”

Here at the home front, Velvet Roxas, a mother of two representing both the Arugaan and the EcoWaste Coalition, unleashes a mouthful: “The heightened global concern over human exposure to BPA and the probable health effects even at very low doses should move the government into imposing a precautionary ban starting with BPA-tainted children’s products. The toxic health threat from BPA-laced feeding bottles for artificial milk formula should encourage all mothers to feed and nourish their children with breast milk, the most nutritious and ecological food for babies.”

Caring genuinely for babies and mommies (and the environment as well), Arugaan and the EcoWaste Coalition tell us that “various studies have shown that exposure to BPA can cause health effects even at extremely low doses, including birth, reproductive, nervous, and behavioral developmental disorders.”

And hear this: “Some studies have also associated BPA to “feminizing baby boys” and increasing the risk of breast cancer in girls and women.”

What’s the latest on the ban-the-BPA campaign? Only last June, California’s state legislators voted to ban BPA in baby products for children aged three and under. In March 2009, as a precautionary step, Denmark banned BPA in food and drink containers for the under threes. In April 2008, Canada became the first country to ban BPA in baby bottles. Canadian Health Minister Tony Clements declared, “We have immediately taken action on BPA because we believe it is our responsibility to ensure families, Canadians, and our environment are not exposed to a potentially harmful chemical.”

An international conference, to be convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, will be held in Canada in October 2010 to develop guidelines on BPA for food safety regulators.

Meanwhile, as we wait with bated breath for our government to put a ban on BPA, Arugaan and the EcoWaste Coalition give consumers these top tips to prevent or reduce toxic exposure:

• Nourish your child with breast milk, the most complete and first zero waste food. Go for exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continue breastfeeding for two years and beyond.

• Go for cupfeeding or the giving of expressed breast milk through cups as the situation requires (expressing is the taking of milk from the breast, without the baby suckling, by hand or with a breast pump).

• Refrain from feeding your baby canned foods with plastic linings, which might contain BPA.

• Avoid polycarbonate plastic containers, usually marked “PC” or the number “7”; use safer alternatives such as glass, ceramics or stainless steel.

• Refrain from microwaving food and beverage in plastic or plastic cling wraps. If you prefer to microwave, put the food or drink on a suitable plate or cup instead.

• Reduce consumption of canned foods as can liners may contain BPA; opt for fresh natural and indigenous food instead.

• Check product labels and select the ones that say “BPA-free.” Ask your retailer to offer BPA-free products.

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