Q&A: Baby bottles and bisphenol A

I’ve read so much about bisphenol A and baby bottles lately. Glass or plastic? Which one is safer for my 2 month old?

To avoid bisphenol A (or BPA, as it’s often called) in baby bottles, use glass (handle with care because they can break and cause cuts) or BPA-free plastics such as polyethylene, as Consumer Reports has advised in the past.

There's been a lot of buzz lately about BPA, which is used to make polycarbonate, a clear and rigid plastic. Health concerns about BPA relate to its ability to mimic the hormone estrogen. During such “endocrine disruption,” chemicals can interfere with or mimic the action of hormones, in ways that can upset normal development. Hundreds of studies published over the past decade suggest a connection between exposure to BPA at levels typical in the U.S. and increased rates of breast and prostate cancer, reproductive abnormalities, and—for infants exposed in the womb—problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obesity, and diabetes.

When we published our tests of baby bottles in 1999, we found that polycarbonate bottles can leach small amounts of BPA into formula. We calculated that a typical baby who drank formula sterilized by heating the bottle would be exposed to a BPA dose of about 4 percent of an amount that has adversely affected test animals in studies by Dr. Frederick vom Saal, professor of biological science at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Such exposure may initially sound very low. However, safety limits for infant exposure are set as low as 0.1 percent of the level that has adversely affected animals. Babies who used the bottles we tested could be exposed to a BPA dose 40 times higher than that conservative definition of safety. A recent report sponsored by the Work Group for Safe Markets, a coalition of more than a dozen environmental and public health organizations such as the Center for Health, Environment and Justice based in Falls Church, Virginia, and co-authored by nine researchers including Dr. vom Saal, came to a similar conclusion. The report determined that polycarbonate plastic can degrade over time when it’s heated or washed with hot water, causing significant leaching of BPA. As a result, the Work Group for Safe Markets is calling for a moratorium and immediate phase out of the use of BPA in baby bottles and other food and beverage containers.

Nonetheless, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stands by its decades-old approval of polycarbonate bottles as safe, which they say is based on two studies, both funded by the plastics industry. As in 1999, we think the FDA needs to re-examine the issue immediately, as well as the growing body of research that links developmental and reproductive problems with exposure to estrogen-like compounds such as BPA. We will continue to investigate. In the meantime, if you are concerned about the presence of BPA, look for unbreakable BPA-free plastic, such as polyethylene, an opaque, less-shiny plastic (sometimes marked with recycling code 1 and/or the abbreviation PET) that does not leach BPA. Other plastics not made with BPA are high density polyethylene (2, HDPE), low density polyethylene (4, LDPE), or polypropylene (5, PP). Avoid those marked with recycling code 7, which includes polycarbonate, or the abbreviation PC. Glass is another option, but use with care to avoid breakage. If you’re making a switch and your baby misses his old polycarbonate bottle—babies are picky about which bottle they’ll take to—experiment with a different brand of bottle or nipple. That might just do the trick.

Comments

[D.J.]

In response to Chad and Thomas who tried to call into question the validity of the current studies: First, I wonder if Chad is a member of the plastics industry. He points us to a website that is funded by the American Chemistry Council...formerly know as the Chemical Manufacturers Association - an organization that represents over 150 chemical companies. The ACC has snatched up several websites related to BPA to spread disinformation and confuse the public. They are currently being investigated by congress for their relationships in the EPA and the scientific community. When a entire country bans BPA - its a decision not to take lightly. Consumer Reports is right. Get rid of all your BPA plastics now.

[Michelle]

Do the Dr. Brown's bottles contain BPA? I looked on the bottom of the bottles and there is no recycle symbol.

[Chad]

Unfortunately (or fortunately) with the internet it's easy to get half the story... as I believe is the case here. Doing a quick search shows the recent studies mentioned in this article don't show results any different than they have in previous years (http://www.bisphenol-a.org/whatsNew/20080205.html). So call me a cynic but I'm curious to find out where the recent "BPA = Bad" craze originated since the recent results aren't any different than they were in years past.

And the comment about being sponsored by the plastics industry... come on... why would any other industry be interested to find out if plastic products are safe? I smell a conspiracy theorist.

[Ellen]

What about:
- Plastic food containers (tupperware, ziploc containers)?
- Single serve water bottles (16 oz/20 oz/24 oz)?
- Gallon water jugs (plastic with a rough pebbley surface)?

[Jennifer]

What type of glass bottles are out there for babies with very bad reflux? My son needs to be fed sitting completely upright and the glass bottles are not designed to bend at an angle that he can eat out of? Any suggestions?

[concerned mama]

The number "7" on the recycling thingie on the bottom is not a correct indicator. It means the product "may" have BPA in it. The number 7 is a "miscellaneous" category. There are only categories 1-6. The ones that don't fall in 1-6 go into the miscellany, number 7.

I've read there are rubber sleeves you can buy to put over the glass bottles to help reduce breakability.

[Ellen]

I called Gerber's 1-800 # and their Clearview Bottles are BPA free (#5). You can get them at Target for about $3.00 for a pack of three. I had tried the Sassy MAM bottles, but I didn't like that you had to screw on the bottom. The bottle always seemed to leak. I've had no problem with the Clearview bottles.

[B Fin]

Scary, I just looked on the bottom of the Gerber baby food containers - you know the premade stuff you buy and they say 7. Yikes.

[Laura]

I love the Natural Nurser by Adiri -- it's completely BPA and polycarbonate-free, and just won a bunch of design awards. More at www.adiri.com.

[Diane]

Reading this article caused me to wonder if the polycarbonate glasses I have, which can go through the dishwasher, are safe to use. Mine were purchased from Williams Sonoma and have no legible markings on them. They are said to come from the same material used in bullet proof plastic and they do not break easily.
Should I toss all of the ones I have? I assume from the article, that they are likely to leach bisphenol A and could do so on the other dishes in the dishwasher.

[Abby PARISER]

So, how do we know which bottles sold in big stores are BPA free?
What about Dr. Brown's?
What about The First Years?

[jc johnson]

listed on my plastic is (PETE) NOT(PET)

[Thomas]

Last time you contradicted a Federal agency, you claimed urgency and alarm. You were quite wrong. I would have thought you may have learned something from that but I guess that is a tough lesson for you. This type of study is extremely complex and pushes the boundaries of science so that its finding will always remain contraversial. Have you asked yourself what cost your alarmism may have if your are wrong (which is quite possibly likely) Injuries from broken glass, expensive manufacturing processes, higher cost of product to the market (many of whom the customers are on the margin anyhow). I'm not saying you shouldn't question, I am saying that you shouldn't scare the heck out of everyone with untested hypothesis.

[Kathy]

Many brands of polycarbonate bottle nipples fit in some of the new BPA Free Bottles too now. For example the bottle nipples from the wideneck Dr. Brown bottles fit in the wideneck BornFree Bottles. My friend Alicia from The Soft Landing has done a more exhaustive experiment on this which you can read about on her blog here:

http://thesoftlanding.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/weve-been-playing-with-our-bottles-again/

[G.Durbin]

When I was pregnant with my first child 7 years ago my brother and sister-in-law gave me glass bottles as a gift. They had heard back then about the problems with plastic bottles. I used the glass bottles for both of my children (now 6 1/2 and 5) and loved them. I never had one break and I put them in the dishwasher to clean- very easy.

[Steve]

Good post!! I was not aware of the things you have mentioned in this particular post though my kids have grown up now but my sister is gonna have a baby very soon. I'll pass this one to her.