BPA Ban

I think it's completely ridiculous that BPA has not been banned nationwide. You go Connecticut!

FROM NBC: Today, a Connecticut law goes into effect banning Bisphenol-A or BPA from baby food and formula containers as well as other items. BPA is a chemical used to harden plastics.. it has been linked to cancer, infertility and heart disease. The American Medical Association recognizes BPA as a hormone-disrupting agent. Two years ago, Connecticut became the first state in the nation to ban the chemical from infant formula and baby food cans and jars as well as other reusable food and beverage containers.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Will BPA ever be banned?

And people wonder why there are so many conspiracy theorist and why some people question the tactics of governmental agencies. Science proved this chemical could be harmful to kids YEARS AGO. Now the FDA is finally acknowledging that, but they still won't ban it. How many studies need to be done before we start taking this chemical out of our food supply?

FROM NBC:The Environmental Protection Agency has added BPA -- a compound in many household products -- to its list of "chemicals of concern." BPA is used as an additive in plastics. it's also used in soda cans and food containers. Animal studies have suggested BPA may be behind some cancer and heart disease cases, and f-d-a officials say the chemical is of "some concern" to infants and children, but that more studies are needed. Adding BPA to the EPA's "chemicals of concern" list will not spark any new regulation, but it will lead to further testing of BPA exposure in animals. Representatives from the American Chemical Council say studies have confirmed BPA is not a risk to the environment at the current low levels.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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BPA is still everywhere!

I feel like a broken record. It is hard to believe BPA is still on the market in so many plastic and food items. Here is the latest story from NBC. It makes me furious that I interview a lead researcher on BPA YEARS AGO who said it should be taken out of all food items. Yet his research is just now coming to light. How aggravating! Here's the link to my interview with Professor Frederick Vom Saal.

FROM NBC: Officials from the department of health and human services say the chemical Bisphenol-A might not be safe for young children -- and will invest 30-million dollars into more research on potential health concerns.

Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is a chemical used in plastics. It's found in water bottles, the lining of cans and many other household items. it's also found in some baby bottles and sippy cups.

The new stance represents a reversal from previous language from the Food and Drug Administration, which stated BPA is safe at low levels. The shift is partially based on a 2008 report from the national toxicology program that raised concerns that b-p-a might affect brain development, behavior and the prostate gland.

Because of this, there's been growing concern in recent years about BPA exposure among babies and young children. But while many manufacturers have introduced BPA-free bottles and sippy cups, the chemical is still found in the lining of some pre-mixed liquid formula containers.

Until more research is conducted, health officials say the benefits of using formula outweigh any potential risks from BPA exposure. the chemical is not usually found in the powdered formula containers, according to the FDA.

Meanwhile -- there are some things parents can do to reduce their child's exposure to BPA. the HHS recommends throwing out scratched and worn baby bottles and cups, which could release small amounts of BPA.

Also -- some studies have suggested BPA can leach into food and drinks when plastic containers are heated. officials recommend against heating up breast milk or formula, or adding boiling water to any containers that have BPA.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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BPA Re-evaluated

Many plastic baby bottles, utensils, plates, etc. are now Bisphenol A free after studies in animals showed the chemical in plastic may cause developmental delays in kids, among other things. Now a new study shows the chemical is causing erectile dysfunction in men who work in these plastic factories. The FDA is supposed to be re-evaluating the safety of BPA and could put bans in place after their new stance is revealed. The word could come in the next few weeks.

It seems to be pretty easy to find baby/toddler supplies that are BPA free, but I haven't found much when it comes to regular sized plates/cups. I just bought some new Munchkin plates,bowls and cups at Wal-mart. They are working out great so far. I just wish the plates were a little larger.

I interviewed a researcher last year who discovered the potential risks of BPA. Here's a link to his eye-opening findings.

FROM CNN: Bisphenol-A, a chemical found in hard, clear plastic used to make everything from baby bottles to food packaging, may increase the risk of erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in male factory workers exposed to large amounts of the substance, according to a study conducted in China.

The health effects of BPA have been hotly debated; although some studies have linked BPA to a risk of brain damage, birth defects, hyperactivity, heart disease, early puberty, obesity, and prostate cancer, other research suggests that the low level of exposure from plastics doesn't pose a health risk to adults. (The picture is less clear for children.)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also in the midst of reconsidering its stance on BPA. In August 2008, largely on the basis of research funded by the chemical industry, the agency issued a draft assessment on the safety of BPA in food packaging, concluding that "an adequate margin of safety exists for BPA at current levels of exposure" from those sources.

The FDA report caused an uproar in the scientific community and was soon contradicted. The National Toxicology Program (NTP), a federal agency that advises the FDA on chemicals and other environmental toxins, released its own report expressing "some" concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brains, behavior, and prostate glands of fetuses, infants, and children, as well as "minimal" concern about earlier puberty for girls.

The NTP classified its concerns over reproductive effects from workplace BPA exposure as "minimal."

Soon after, the FDA's own Science Board released a report that cited the FDA's exclusion of a large number of animal studies on BPA, and concluded that the agency may have overestimated the safety of the chemical. Following the release of these reports and a spate of media attention, the FDA announced that it would reconsider its assessment. In mid-August 2009, the agency indicated that it will continue to review the research on BPA effects in humans and will "decide next steps" by the end of November 2009.

So has anyone found adult sized plastic cups/plates that are BPA free?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Throw away your coffee pot!

Hi Jen,

My daughter in law and I were talking last evening about food safety and plastics. She brought up a great question. Is it safe to use such things as the plastic coffee makers ( I have a white Black and Decker brand) and kettles (I also use a white Proctor Silex quick heating kettle for when I boil water for tea). The water receptacles in both products are plastic. The kettle is a #5 plastic. I could not find a number for the coffee maker. After repeatedly heating /boiling water in these products I was wondering if unsafe chemicals are leached in to the water.
Thanks for your time!! I find your web site and reports very informative!

Joan

I think this is a very good question. I have been reading and posting about the dangers of plastics since this blog launched last January. So I found Professor Frederick Vom Saal-a biology professor at the University of Missouri and a leading expert on the harmful biological effects of bisphenol A. He says his research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and he gets no money from any of the companies who are trying to come up with "safer" chemicals to be used in plastics.

When I asked Professor Vom Saal whether we could be drinking the harmful chemical bisphenol A(BPA) every morning in our cup of coffee, he shocked me by saying absolutely you are! He said coffee is a double whammy and there are more chemicals than just bisphenol A to be worried about. He said the combination of acidity and heated plastic is, "a bad thing. You don't want to do that with poly carbonate. The hotter it is, the more it breaks down." Is there any safe way to drink coffee? He said not unless you can find a coffee maker made of glass!

So my next question was about plastic in general. Should we just avoid it all together? He said there are some things to keep in mind:

1. Don't put plastic in the microwave. If you eat a frozen dinner, take the frozen food out and place it on a glass plate before heating it. Vom Saal said, "Anything in the packaging of food is going to get into your food."

2. Don't ever put plastic in the dishwasher. If it says dishwasher safe that means it has a harmful chemical in it.

3. If you have kids and want something durable, only use BPA free plastic products and don't heat them!

"What's happening is the public is essentially waking up before the regulatory system in the U.S. People are saying I don't like this. I am worried about this and rightly so. This is something that is related to heart attacks and diabetes. It's a carcinogen. When exposure occurs during early life, this is a bad chemical it should be off the market," said Vom Saal.

I wondered how these companies that make plastic could be selling something that Vom Saal says is so harmful to the public. He said plastic has been falsely advertised as durable. "That's false. That is what is going to cause the companies that make this chemical to get into a lot of trouble. Sooner or later they're going to hit the wall on this," he said.

Vom Saal is hoping the new presidential administration will create a regulatory agency to oversee food safety. He says right now food safety is controlled by several different agencies and none of them have the funding they need to do the job right. He says the Japanese industries got together and stopped making products containing BPA about 10 years ago and the U.S. is way behind on this safety issue. He wants everything used to package food to include a list of ingredients. He says right now there is no way to tell if the container that holds your soup, cereal or snacks is loaded with bisphenol A and other harmful chemicals. His research has shown those chemicals do leak into the food they are carrying, and it happens to an even greater extent when they are heated. He says plastics also contain flame retardant, which is a known neuro-toxin. Vom Saal said, "There are about 75 thousand people who get sick a year from food related illnesses 4-thousands die every year from food illnesses. There are products that contain bisphenol A in them that are used to package food. That's crazy."

So where are we right now with the safety of plastics? The Science Advisory Panel told the FDA to immediately do another report after they received mis-information a few months ago. The Panel explained the scientific evidence has been done, it just wasn't included in the original report. Vom Saal said, "The FDA said we'll think about this some time in the future."

I don't know about you, but this really opened my eyes! I do try not to use plastic plates to warm up the kid's food. However, I didn't think about the dishwasher. Duh! I am sure my family thinks I am being overly paranoid, but it won't hurt me to be more cautious about what I put in the dishwasher and microwave! Vom Saal also said as more people realize the dangers of BPA and other chemicals, the landfills will be full of this dangerous stuff. Right now, there is no solution to this problem either!

Do you have plastic plates/cups in your home? Do you eat microwavable meals?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen