The Death of Plastic Bottles

Posted on Thursday, July 31, 2008 in Bottle Feeding, Family Health

Since the Canadian government sparked consumer panic with its decision to ban the import of consumer goods made with Bisphenol A (BPA), plastic baby bottles have taken a major hit to their image – glass bottles now line baby department shelves as confused shoppers try to figure out what they should be using to safely feed their babies.

Bisphenal A’s Bad Rap

Bisphenal A, commonly called BPA, is a chemical used to give great strength to clear plastics including some baby bottles. BPA is also used to make CDs and household electronics, and has even had use as a fungicide. In the wild, BPA has been shown to interfere with the endocrine systems of animals and there have been suspicions since the 1930s that low-level exposure can have toxic effects to humans as well, with bottle-fed infants being particularly at risk.

According to Wikipedia:

Studies by the CDC found bisphenol A in the urine of 95% of adults sampled in 1988-1994 and in 93% of children and adults tested in 2003-04.Almost all exposure is through diet, and infants fed with liquid formula are among the most exposed.

Although Canada in 2008 and the United States by 2009 plan to eliminate infant bottles containing BPA, the health agencies of both countries assure us that the levels of BPA found in consumer products are far below what would be considered dangerous and in fact infant bottles made with BPA do not pose a health risk to our children.

Not All Plastic Bottles Are Harmful

PANIC! The message seemingly spread by mainstream media is that all plastic bottles are bad for your baby’s health. This stems from a general lack of understand on the problem and the laziness of outlets to properly report and inform.

The point the government was trying to make is that some plastics are shown to have harmful effects, and even though the levels in infant bottles are well below what would be considered unsafe, the government take is that any margin of danger is unacceptable for our young.

Self-Educate: Know How To Read the Ingredients of Your Food Containers

The world is buyer-beware. You must hold yourself accountable for what you choose to put into your body and into your children’s bodies, and so you need to be aware of how to tell whether your containers are considered safe or not.

Resin Codes

The resin codes – sometimes known as recycling symbols – printed on the bottoms of plastic bottles and cans are in fact standard identifiers for the materials used in the making of that container. Bisphenal A is a component in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is identified by resin code #3.

Resin code #7 refers to “Other” types that aren’t included in the rest of the numbers. “Other” may include safe organic biodegradable materials, but it may also contain materials made with BPA. If you see #7 at the bottom of a bottle, you need to confirm with the manufacturer that the material does not contain BPA – if you are unsure do not purchase it.