Originally posted on Diary of a Modern Matriarch.

I’m sure you have all heard on the news and media about the safety of the plastics we use, specifically in baby bottles, sippy cups, bowls, etc., especially regarding the chemical Bisphenol-A. In case you’ve been living in a cave, here is what it is:

From the Green Guide:

“Depending on whom you talk to, BPA is either perfectly safe or a dangerous health risk. The plastics industry says it is harmless, but a growing number of scientists are concluding, from some animal tests, that exposure to BPA in the womb raises the risk of certain cancers, hampers fertility and could contribute to childhood behavioral problems such as hyperactivity.

According to its critics, BPA mimics naturally occurring estrogen, a hormone that is part of the endocrine system, the body’s finely tuned messaging service. “These hormones control the development of the brain, the reproductive system and many other systems in the developing fetus,” says Frederick Saal, Ph.D., a developmental biologist at the University of Missouri. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can duplicate, block or exaggerate hormonal responses. “The most harm is to the unborn or newborn child,” Saal says.

Plastic water and baby bottles, food and beverage can linings and dental sealants are the most commonly encountered uses of this chemical. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stay put. BPA has been found to leach from bottles into babies’ milk or formula; it migrates from can liners into foods and soda and from epoxy resin-lined vats into wine; and it is found in the mouths of people who’ve recently had their teeth sealed. Ninety-five percent of Americans were found to have the chemical in their urine in a 2004 biomonitoring study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”

For other informational videos and articles on the topic, all you need to do is google it, and there is more than 60 pages of websites. Or click here for a portal to all media stories on the topic.

Most concerning for me is this, “Bisphenol A is a hormone disruptor. Studies have linked low-dose BPA exposure with such effects as: permanent changes to genital tract; increase prostate weight; decline in testosterone; breast cells predisposed to cancer; prostate cells more sensitive to hormones and cancer; and hyperactivity.”

Both Canada and Germany have moved to ban the use of this chemical in their plastics, which you can find most commonly in Recycling #7 items. (Check the bottom of your plastics to see which are which, and click here for explanations of the recycling numbers).

Normally, I’m not on the freak-out bandwagon when the media focuses on one thing or another. But my own research, combined with the fact that other countries have moved to BAN this chemical based on their own research studies, currently has me in a tizzy.

Of course, the plastics company has this website dedicated to proving to us that their products is safe. But that isn’t surprising. A billion-dollar industry isn’t going to admit any wrong doings, and will find scientific facts to back up their product so long as the FDA and our country approve its use.

The Dr. Brown’s bottles I fed my daughter from were unsafe (they now have a BPA-free line). Her pacifiers (Avent) are on the “dangerous” list. Some of the sippy cups we used were also made from BPA products. The Del Monte mandarin oranges in the to-go containers are made with #7 plastic. Our water cooler bottles (the 5-gallon jugs) are made with it. What scares me the most about the water cooler jugs is that they can’t be truly recycled so they sterilize and reuse them for up to six months. This means further breaking down of the plastics from this process. And I drink from this thinking it was safer than tap water. I was wrong. It seems it’s everywhere.

I had heard the warnings but muted them in my head. One more thing for the media to rile people up about. Last week fish is great for you for Omegas. This week it will kill you with mercury. Red meat is an excellent source of iron. Red meat will give you a heart attack. Running is good for your heart. Running will kill your joints. I never listen, and do my own research to get the answers I need. In this case, I only wish I listened sooner. Much like the use of asbestos, other countries banned it first while our country convinced us that it was safe. Only until they could link specific lung cancers to asbestos did our country ban it. In this case, I am not waiting for my daughter to get uterine cancer, or my son to have low levels of testosterone before I act.

I have spent the last two days on this laptop researching this and have done the following: thrown away all of the unsafe baby products as well as our plastic drinking cups; canceled our water cooler service; emailed GoodStart (the formula we will most likely use with Sawyer since we loved it with Charlotte) to ask if their cans are lined with BPA, which some cans are; bought stainless steel travel mugs for me and Mike for our water at work (NOT lined in plastic -just steel) ordered stainless steel sippy cups (Foogoo brand stainless steel sippy cups are also available at Target); ordered bamboo plates and bowls for Charlotte; thrown away all of her pacifiers and am going to replace them with safe ones.

We can use glass or ceramic but she carries her bowls around and that is unsafe, which is why bamboo is a great option. I also plan to use Dr. Brown’s new glass bottle line for Sawyer for when we’re in the house and I can be safe, and the Born-Free bottles for travel and such. For water, we can’t use our local tap water because it is NASTY, so I’m going to buy a steel water filter for the sink.

I know I probably seem a bit nuts about all of this, but just go read and watch and research yourself. Then maybe I won’t seem so nuts.

Have any of you switched over to BPA-free products? Do you buy into the hype about its safety or do you just figure it’s something else for the media to harp on? What do you use for yourself and your babies? For me, even through the media frenzy, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

SafeMama is another site you can check out for links to all brands (as well as recalls and other safety information). You can google “BPA free products” or check out this link, but here is a quick list for your reference:

BPA & Phthalate Free Pacifiers:

• Playtex:
  Playtex “Binky” (one piece silicone pacifier), Binky Most Like Mother
  Latex Pacifier, Binky Most Like Mother Silicone Pacifier, Binky Angled
  Pacifier, Ortho-Pro Pacifier
• Gerber: NUK Original, NUK Classic, NUK Nautical
• The First Years: Soothies Silicone Paci’s, Safe Comfort, Ultra Kip
• Vice Versa Binky w/ Case
• Natursutten Natural Rubber Paci
• EvenFlo Mimi Soft Touch, Mimi Premium, Mimi Neo One-Piece, Vizion, Fuzion and Illuzion
• Gumdrop Silicon Pacifiers

BPA & Phthalate Free Bottle Products:

• Adiri Natural Nursers
• Avent “Via” disposable bottles
• BornFree: All bottles and cups BPA free *see note
• EvenFlo: Glass bottles, Classic Tinted Polypropylene bottles
• Playtex: Original Nurser,Opaque Soft Bottle (discontinued), Playtex Drop in liners
• Gerber: Gerber Clearview, Fashion Tints (also called “Plastic Pastels”), Gerber GentleFlow
• Medela: All bottles
• Sassy MAM bottles (UltiVent), Baby Food Nurser Kit
• Green to Grow Bottles **see note
• Sassy Baby Food Nurser Kit
• ThinkBaby Bottles
• Momo Glass Bottles
• Munchkin: Dora the Explorer Classic Bottles
• Nuby:
  Standard Neck Non-Drip Bottle, Wide-Neck Non-Drip Bottle, Wide-Neck
  Bottle with Handles and Non-Drip Nipple, Standard Neck Bottle with
  Handles and Non-Drip Nipple, 3-Stage Wide Neck Easy Grip Feeding System
  with Non-Drip Nipple.
• Nuture Pure Glass bottles
• Babisil Silbottles
• Weego Glass Bottles
• Siliskin Glass Bottles
• Dr Brown’s: Glass Bottles (all vent system pieces BPA Free), Dr. Browns Polypropylene bottles (due in store’s April 15th)
• Parent’s Choice Bottles (available at Walmart) - box is marked BPA Free

BPA & Phthalate Free Sippy Cups:

• Playtex: Coolster Tumbler, Insulator, Einstein Sip & Discover Training Cup, Sipster, Create My Own, Quick Straw, Insulator Sport, Sip and Discover, First Sipster, Einstein Sip & Discover Insulated Straw Cup
• Gerber:
  Sip & Smile Spill-proof Cup, Easy Grip Insulated Soft Straw Cup,
  Insulated Cool Cup, Fun Grips Color Change Spill-proof Cup, Grins &
  Giggles Spill-proof Cup (source)
• BornFree sippy/drinking cups
• Kleen Kanteen
• Thermos Foogo Sippy Cups, and drinking bottle with straw
• SIGG Toddler Water Bottles
• Kid Basix The Safe Sippy
• Boon Sippy
• GrowPure Multi-Stage Feeder and Sippy Cup
• iPlay Aqua Bottle
• ThinkBaby Training Cup
• Sassy Snack Time Infa-Trainer Cup
• Munchkin: Cupsicle, Cupsicle Straw Cup, Big Kid Sippy
  Cup, Mighty Grip Flip Straw Cup, Mighty Grip Trainer Cup, licensed
  character Sports Bottles, Re-usable Straw Cups, Re-usable Spill-proof
  Cups
• Nuby:
  No-Spill Sports Sipper, Insulated Soft Silicone Spout Cup, Soft Spout
  Easy Grip Cup, Gripper Cup with Soft Silicone Spout, 2-Handle Cup,
  Tinted Mega Sipper, 7oz Tumblers
• The First Years: Take & Toss, Spill-proof Cup, Insulated Cup, Licensed character sippy cups, Insulated Spill-proof Cup, 2 Handled Cups

Editors pick by Catnip at Catnip and Coffee. How much do I love this post AndreAnna wrote on BPA? The extent of her research is phenomenal! This is excellent guide for anyone concerned about the effects of BPA in the products we buy. AndreAnna is not only one of the sweetest bloggers I’ve “met” but her writing is always fun and engaging. She chronicles her family life at Diary of a Modern Matriarch and is the co-founder of the food blog Chop. Stir. Mix. You can subscribe to her main blog here, and Chop. Stir. Mix here.