- Bisphenol A -
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical, used to manufacture polycarbonate and numerous
plastic articles. However, studies have shown that it can leach out of certain products,
including the plastic lining of cans used for food and infant formulae, polycarbonate babies’ bottles and tableware for example.
Relatively low levels of BPA have also been found to cause biological effects, and its mode of action appears to mimic that of the female hormone, oestrogen. BPA therefore belongs to a group of chemicals termed “hormone disruptors” or “endocrine disruptors”, that are able to disrupt the chemical messenger system in the body. There is growing international concern about manmade endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), because they can de-rail the development of babies: it is feared that they may be partly responsible for the decline in sperm counts, and the increased rates of hormone related cancers, such as cancers of the breast, testes and prostate. They are also suspected of causing birth defects of the reproductive tract (including un-descended testes), and other hormone related effects, such as earlier puberty in girls.
CLICK HERE to go to the poll on BPA in bottles in our forum
In 2007 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published its opinion on the safety of the use of bisphenol A in food contact materials. The UK Food Standards Agency welcomed the clarity provided by EFSA as there had been some scientific uncertainty about the low-dose effects of bisphenol A on human health. The report provided reassurance about the safety of bisphenol A at the levels that may be found in food.
In 2002, due to the scientific uncertainty around Bisphenol A, the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food reduced five fold the amount it considered could safely be eaten daily. This is the tolerable daily intake (TDI) level and is the daily amount that a person may eat over a lifetime without suffering any health effects.
The 2007 assessment by EFSA concluded that this five fold reduction was no longer necessary and that the TDI ccould safely return to its original level of 0.05 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight. EFSA have estimated that the amount of bisphenol A that people take in through their food (dietary exposure), including infants and children, is well below the new TDI.
However, In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been accused by congressmen of cherry picking research to support its decision on the use of Bisphenol A in baby bottles and other products for use by children.
In the UK, the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is calling for a clear labelling of bottles, following findings that Bisphenol A is known to leach from the plastic used in many baby feeding bottles.
In Canada, Bisphenol A is being added to a list of Toxic Substances listed in Schedule One of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 and is being withdrawn from use, specifically in baby bottles and the linings of infant formula containers.
Here is our website's comparison of name brand bottles, which indicates which bottles are Bisphenol A free, so you can make your own choice.
Please also read our page on Bottles, and the one on moving from bottle to beaker.
CLICK HERE to tell us what YOU would like to see on this page or on this site.
