As Concerns Grow, BPA-Free Items In Demand

Tag : used plastic bottle

TAMPA - Word starting spreading like wildfire last month on mommyblogs, in play groups and at day cares.
Babies R Us was exchanging used plastic baby bottles and otheritems containing bisphenol A, a controversial chemical deemeddangerous by some health advocates, for safer products. Thatfollowed news this year that Wal-Mart and other retailers willphase out plastic baby products made with BPA.
For Madelyn Oquendo, whose daughter is 36 weeks pregnant, the movesconfirmed her worst suspicions about BPA, which is used to makehard, clear polycarbonate plastics found in many bottles and whichis linked to cancer, reproductive disorders and diabetes inlaboratory animals.
"Now I'm concerned," Oquendo said while shopping for baby itemsrecently at Wal-Mart. "I feel like there's something to this."
The Food and Drug Administration has said that products made withBPA are safe and that exposure is well below the amount that maycause serious health concerns. New scientific research recently putBPA back in an unfavorable light, however, and spurred the FDA tocreate a task force to re-evaluate previous findings.
Some health advocates warn that BPA, which can be absorbed throughfood and drink containers, causes testicular and breast cancers,early puberty, hyperactivity and autism. Expectant mothers andinfants are of special concern.
The problem, though, is that testing mostly has been limited to labanimals.
Taking Action Against BPA
The National Toxicology Program, part of the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services' National Institutes of Health, releaseda draft report in April that concluded there may be some healthconcerns associated with products containing BPA, which is alsopresent in the lining of canned foods and drinks.
The possibility that BPA may alter human development could not bedismissed, researchers said.
That same month, Canada became the first country to ban the sale ofbaby bottles and other products with BPA. The U.S. Senate,California and New Jersey are considering similar bans.
Florida hasn't acted yet, said Liz Compton, spokeswoman for thestate's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. "We'retaking our cues from the FDA," she said. "There's only so much youcan look at."
Babies R Us, a division of Toys R Us, went one step further lastmonth with its offer to exchange used items with BPA for a credittoward the purchase of BPA-free products.
On a recent day, Westchase mom Christine Rogers noticed the tinyred signs on the shelves touting BPA-free bottles at the babywarehouse on Hillsborough Avenue.
"I'll definitely look into it," said the 35-year-old chiropractor,who was shopping for a friend's baby shower with 2-year-old sonEthan. On the gift registry: a BPA-free Dr. Brown's bottle.
For Ethan, Rogers used Playtex bottles with disposable drop-insconsidered safer than others because of the individual lining. Butsome bottle parts contain BPA, and Playtex is now giving awayBPA-free bottles to parents. The company has said it will stopusing BPA in all of its products by year's end.
Best Option Is Not Always Possible
Rogers and other mothers have been turning to blogs and Web sitesto try to decipher the latest findings and protect their childrenand themselves.
"Nursing is best," said Susan Dunn, a 40-year-old mother whoparticipates in a playgroup with Rogers and about eight othermothers.
For some women, however, nursing isn't not possible. And for manyparents, bottles are a necessity. Glass ones are seeing aresurgence in popularity, retailers say, but aren't always the mostpractical.
The popular new plastic BPA-free Born Free brand, made in Florida,has experienced a recent increase in sales. The bottles cost abouttwice as much as other BPA-free brands, though. Manufacturers ofless expensive lines including Avent and Dr. Brown's also have comeout with BPA-free products.
Ami Gohil, a 34-year-old day care worker whose young daughters usedto attend the same playgroup, said she used original Dr. Brown'sbottles and followed instructions to sanitize them in thedishwasher.
Heating plastics that include BPA could cause the chemical to leachinto contents, advocates warn. Now Gohil worries what that mightmean for her girls, ages 2 and 5.
"I'm not freaking out," she said. "What can you do now after thefact?"
Dunn recently surveyed the contents of her refrigerator and warilyinformed her husband, "About 80 percent of our refrigerator isplastic!"
"What can you do?" she said. "You take every precaution you can."
That's exactly what pediatrician Gilbert Pitisci of St. Joseph'sChildren's Hospital advises parents to do.
"I tend to be very pragmatic," he said. "If it's easy to avoid, I'davoid it."
Reporter Sherri Ackerman can be reached at (813) 259-7144 orsackerman@tampatrib.com.