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Baby Bottles

The Backstory

Personal Health

While baby bottles can be convenient for parents, and provide comfort to a baby, they can also contribute to some familiar health problems. For example, scratches in bottles and cracks in the nipples can harbor bacteria, contaminating the liquid within. Microwave heating of milk or formula can cause hot spots, scalding baby's mouth. And choking is always a concern with babies and toddlers, who can bite small pieces off of nipples or ingest stray tabs and flaps from certain kinds of baby bottles.

Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a component of polycarbonate plastic (identifiable by the #7 in the recycling triangle), the clear, rigid variety of plastic from which many baby bottles are made. The chemical has come under increasing scrutiny, given studies showing that the substance mimics the hormone estrogen, meaning that it can duplicate, block or exaggerate hormonal responses. Tests in lab animals have found that it alters reproductive organs and functions.

Recent research suggests that BPA's effects extend beyond the reproductive system. A growing number of scientists are concluding, from 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. A January 2006 Environmental Health Perspectives study on mice indicated that BPA alters the function of mouse pancreatic cells, which produce insulin, suggesting that the chemical may enhance the risk of developing Type II diabetes.

Most plastics industry-funded studies performed on BPA conclude that levels of BPA found in the food and the beverages stored in polycarbonate containers have no effect on human health. But Frederick vom Saal, a BPA researcher at University of Missouri-Columbia, says that levels as little as 0.1 to 10 parts per billion (ppb) of BPA are "orders of magnitude" above what can affect humans, yet babies may be exposed to much higher levels. A 1999 study of polycarbonate baby bottles published in the Japanese Journal of Health Sciences found that new bottles, washed gently before using, leached 3.5 ppb of BPA into water, while extremely worn and scratched bottles leached levels of BPA as high as 28 ppb. Another 1999 Consumer Reports analysis found that BPA migrated from polycarbonate baby bottles into simulated formula when the formula was boiled inside the bottle for 20-30 minutes. And several scientific studies have reported that BPA can leach from plastic when heated, exposed to acidic solutions or after prolonged use. And baby bottles aren't the only place BPA is found; a 2007 survey done by the Environmental Working Group found the chemical in formula as well.

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). In April 2008, the National Toxicology Program at the Centers for Health ... reviewed all available literature on BPA and concluded that there is "some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures." As a result of their finding, major bottle manufacturers, including Playtex, pledged to stop using polycarbonate in baby bottles, while Wal-Mart and Toys 'R Us are phasing out polycarbonate baby bottles and baby feeding products so they'll be off store shelves by the end of 2008. The Canadian government is also trying to ban the import and sale of baby bottles containing the chemical.

Rubber Nipples

Many bottle nipples are made of rubber, which may contain low levels of contaminants known as nitrosamines. These substances, found also in some foods and in tobacco, cause cancer in lab animals and contribute to tobacco-related cancers in people. Nitrosamines can be ingested through bottle nipples; however it is unknown whether this kind of exposure increases the risk of cancer. Because of cancer concerns, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the amount of nitrosamines allowable in rubber nipples, but low levels are still permissible.

Environmental

Plastic baby bottles are made from nonrenewable petroleum resources. Their manufacture therefore contributes to global warming. Plastic baby bottles are also part of the larger plastics industry, which is responsible for the annual release of millions of pounds of toxic waste into the air, water, and soil each year. Toxic releases from the plastics industry represent 7 percent of the 5.7 billion pounds of toxic chemicals released or transferred by all manufacturers each year Disposable bottles also add to the solid waste stream.