Warning Alert: Polycarbonate Baby Bottles Containing BPA

Just received a breaking news e-mail from the authors of Baby Bargains regarding the use of polycarbonate bottles made from a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA). Not good news considering we had used them for our child and I know others have used them as well.

If you don't want to read the whole e-mail content blurb below:

Link to an article that talks about the issue at hand can be found here.

Three examples of polycarbonate bottles containing BPA can be found here.

Examples of BPA-free bottles can be found here.

Stay away from bottles that have a #7 on their recycling label as they are most likely made of polycarbonate (and contain BPA). Damn, my Nalgene bottle has a friggen 7 on it! Although they say this. Sheesh, is anything safe in this world?


e-mail content blurb:

Baby Bargains book withdraws recommendation for certain plastic baby bottles

(BOULDER, CO) The authors of BABY BARGAINS, the country’s best-selling guide to baby products (700,000 copies in print), today called for parents to stop using baby bottles and sippy cups made of polycarbonate plastic.

Polycarbonate bottles are made from a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA). In an article in a peer-reviewed medical journal last week, a group of 38 scientists said BPA caused a significant health risk.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-plastic3aug03,0,1828523.story?coll=la-home-nation

Also last week, a federal panel convened by the National Institutes of Health said there is “some concern” the chemical could cause behavioral and neurological problems in young children.

Specifically, parents should stop using Avent’s Natural Feeding Bottle and Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow (or any bottle made of polycarbonate plastic)---these products were previously recommended by BABY BARGAINS.

“All baby bottles and sippy cups made of polycarbonate plastic should be avoided,” said author and consumer advocate Denise Fields. “If you are shopping for bottles, chose an alternative made from BPA-free plastic or glass. If you have polycarbonate bottles, throw them out.”

So, what is BPA? How is it harmful? See the FAQ below for answers.

Q. What the heck is BPA? Why is it dangerous?

Clear plastic baby bottles (as well as some food containers and water bottles) are made of polycarbonate, which contains a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA). It is the BPA that makes the hard, clear plastic bottles . . . well, hard and clear.

Here’s the rub: BPA’s chemical bond with polycarbonate breaks down over time—especially with repeated washings or heating of the bottle. As a result, BPA leaches out of the plastic bottle or sippy cup . . . and into the liquid (that is, breast milk or formula).

While most data on BPA comes from animal research, studies show even low-levels of BPA MAY be linked to everything from early puberty to breast cancer, to attention and developmental problems.

We wrote a detailed article on BPA and plastic baby bottles in our Baby 411 book. Click here to read it online on our web site:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/baby411/bpa.html

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Q. Do we really know that these bottles are dangerous to humans?

No, we don’t. There have been no human studies on BPA—so far, researchers have only found problems in animal research.

There is a split opinion here among scientists. The same federal panel that said it had “some concern” about behavioral and developmental problems in babies also stated that links to other ailments like birth defects and adult ailments were “negligible.” Of course, the plastics industry says BPA is completely safe.

That contrasts to the group of 38 scientists who last week called the health threat from BPA as “significant.”

But the fact the federal panel said there were “some concerns” for the health of babies tipped the balance for us.

As parents, we realize it can be hard to decide what to do when the debate is so heated. As always, our mantra is “show us the science.” We believe enough science is now in to recommend a change in course.

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Q. Isn’t it a bit alarmist to say stop using these bottles? When will we know for certain BPA is harmful to humans?

The truth is we won’t know for YEARS if there is a human health problem from BPA. And it could be YEARS more before the government decides to take some regulatory action.

We have consulted with pediatricians and other experts before making this decision. The consensus of these experts is: if concerns exist today (and that is backed up by reputable scientific research), then why not limit your baby’s exposure to this chemical?

Babies are especially at risk when it comes to exposure to harmful chemicals—that’s one thing we all can agree on.

The bottom line: we suggest stop using polycarbonate baby bottles and sippy cups NOW. Since there are quite a few BPA-free bottles on the market (see below), we believe this is an easy call for parents.

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Q. The Juvenile Products Manufacturer’s Association said plastic baby bottles are safe.

In a recent statement, the JPMA said the federal panel’s report on BPA “reaffirms the safety of plastic baby bottles.”

With all due respect to the fine folks at the JPMA, we’re not sure they were reading the same report we did. If they did, they would note this sentence: “The Expert Panel expressed SOME CONCERN that exposure to BPA causes neural and behavioral effects (emphasis added).”

Click here to read it:

http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/draftBPA_MtgSumm080807.pdf

What part of “some concern” did the JPMA miss?

We realize you can argue that the panel didn’t call for the ban of products with BPA. But, that’s NOT what the panel was asked to do. It will now take years of debate among scientists, researchers and politicians as to the best course to take with BPA.

The JPMA does a good job at representing the manufacturers of baby products and lobbying the government on their behalf. But we would hardly call them unbiased experts on this subject. In fact, Avent (the U.S. largest seller of polycarbonate baby bottles) sits on the JPMA’s board of directors.

For the record, Avent told us they believe their bottles are safe and pose no heath threat to babies.

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Q. Which bottles should we NOT use? Which ones are BPA-free?

Polycarbonate baby bottles make up about 90% of the bottle market. The most common polycarbonate bottle are Avent’s Natural Feeding Bottle and Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow. But other major baby product companies like Playtex and Gerber also make polycarbonate bottles.

Click here to see pictures of polycarbonate bottles:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/babybargains/BPAbottles.html

Here are the alternatives that are BPA-free:

• Use glass bottles. Obviously, there is a risk of injury to baby or mom if the bottle is dropped, so glass isn’t a perfect alternative.

• Use bottles made of opaque plastic. These bottles (made of polyethylene or polypropylene) do not contain BPA.

• Consider a BPA-free plastic bottle. Born Free makes a BPA-free clear plastic bottle (Newbornfree.com) sold at Whole Foods. But these cost about $10 each, twice the price of Avent bottles.

• Use a drop-in system. For example the Playtex Drop-in System is BPA free (that is, the bottle liners do not contain BPA). Avent’s Tempo liners are another example.

We have pictures of these on our web page here:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/babybargains/BPAFREEbottles.html

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Q. Is there a way to tell if a bottle has BPA?

A. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy. Here’s a general guide:

BAD:
• Bottles that have a #7 on their recycling label most likely are made of polycarbonate (and contain BPA).

GOOD:
• Bottles that have a #2, #4 , #5 are made of polyethylene or polypropylene—these do NOT have BPA.

We call on the government to require disclosure of which bottles have BPA, so consumers can make an informed choice.

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Q. What about sippy cups? Breast pump collection bottles?

A. Basically, the same advice applies: avoid those made of polycarbonate plastic. Sippy cups made of opaque plastic are fine. Again, check the bottom of the cup for its recycling number (#7 should be avoided). For breast pump collection bottles, consider BPA-free bottles (such as those from Medela).

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Q. I just bought $50 worth of Avent bottles. Are you saying I should throw them out?

A. Yes. We know this in an inconvenience—but if you think about it, buying replacement bottles would run only $50 to $100. When it comes to safety, we think this is a worthwhile investment.

In the last printing of Baby Bargains, we realize that we recommended Avent and Dr. Brown’s polycarbonate bottles and said that polycarbonate bottles were safe. This was written before the release of the latest BPA study and federal panel report last week.

We have changed our recommendation on this subject based on new scientific evidence and the results of the federal panel discussed earlier. We will be revising our book in a new printing later this year to reflect this advice. We realize this is of little comfort to a reader who just bought $50 worth of Avent bottles and can’t return them—but we owe it to all readers to get the best and accurate advice out there as soon as it is available.

(Note: the advice in this update differs slightly from what we previous wrote in Baby 411 3rd edition. In that book, we said parents could still use polycarbonate bottles if they limited washings/heated drying, etc. Given the latest scientific evidence, we will revise that book to reflect the above advice to STOP using these bottles altogether.)

We will continue to blog about this subject. Check out our blogs here:

http://baby411.typepad.com/babybargains/
http://baby411.typepad.com/baby_411_blog/

We're Poor

According to Paul Graham, "the poorer people are, the more stuff they seem to have." Or is it because our abode is so small it seems like we have so many things? Nah, we got too many stuff, including statements that date back to who knows when.

And unless you're extremely organized, a house full of stuff can be very depressing. A cluttered room saps one's spirits. One reason, obviously, is that there's less room for people in a room full of stuff. But there's more going on than that. I think humans constantly scan their environment to build a mental model of what's around them. And the harder a scene is to parse, the less energy you have left for conscious thoughts. A cluttered room is literally exhausting.

(This could explain why clutter doesn't seem to bother kids as much as adults. Kids are less perceptive. They build a coarser model of their surroundings, and this consumes less energy.)

Been trying to declutter 'cause it actually does cause me to feel like my spirits are sapped, depressed, and even exhausted. MSO can't understand why I get all frustrated when I see like five empty milk cartons around the sink that he's saving for his mother. Or why it's bothersome to see a desk chair in our child's room when all it's doing is holding his clothes. Yeah, I shouldn't sweat the small stuff but this explains it. =S

No Criminals in Professional Sports?

With news talk about Michael Vick and the dogfighting charges, for me, it once again prompted the thought of what professional sports would be like without criminals or those accused of crimes.

What if the professional sports world had a no tolerance policy for gross violations of law? Boy, that would eliminate some of the most marketable stars wouldn't it?

In Michael Vick's case, I say 'Kick Vick' too. Innocent until proven guilty, however, to even be involved with such preposterousness is irresponsible. And what's in that 'Personal Conduct Policy'? Vague or worded like a government-issued instructional document?

Bottom line. These professional athletes are role models, in the spotlight, and should be responsible and law-abiding. Yes, they are human too and there is a lot of pressure on a daily basis. But, that's part of the job and they are getting paid millions of dollars for doing what they love. Many should not forget where they came from and what they didn't have before their glory.

Butt Head Observations

I'm on a blog posting roll today. In a previous post, I vented about inconsiderate, ignorant, foolish people that smoke around children. Well, here's one of those (fill-in-the-blank) people. You may not be able to see it but the woman has a cancer stick there lodged between two of those stink, discolored right fingers. Puffing away right next to this little girl who will probably end up smoking in her adult life.

Here's another butt head that threw his cigarette out the window. Another cigarette-related peeve I have is when smokers throw their cigarette butts out the window when driving as if the island is their big ashtray. I may not be too smart but don't most cars come with ashtrays or is that another option that you have to pay for?

iMac-iTunes Woes

WTF is going on?! The problem with our Internet connection returned a few weeks ago and I've unfortunately been using someone else's connection since. Now I got issues with iTunes and not able to play my own damn music that I PAID for!!!

In the midst of changing my playlist on my Shuffle, I clicked on a song (that was purchased through iTunes) and got prompted to enter my username and password. After doing so, because I'm supposedly not authorized to listen and copy my own music, I then get this stinkin' error:

We could not complete your iTunes store request. An unknown error occurred (-50).

Tried a couple more songs that I had purchased. Same thing. And this is not the first time that I've had this happen to me. The issue seemed to go away after iTunes was upgraded to 7.3(?) but now seems to be back. Guess I have to try some troubleshooting steps I had gathered through research the first time. Crap.

The Countdown Begins

Haven't heard the official word from DY yet but it's almost certain a new project will be lookin' for me. T Land can no longer afford me. Mind you, labor costs and my (so-called) skills definitely don't correspond so they really are overpaying for what I'm capable of...which is not much. Aren't those weekly reports trivial? Damn, looks like I'm in trouble now.

Just dislike the feeling of having to basically start all over. The anxiety of a variety of things - who, what, where. It's probably just me that feels this way though, and I'm coming to a diagnosis that I may have a combination of generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder. Who, what, where, when, and how? I don't know but we'll just have to wait and see...The comfort zone is crumbling as the countdown is proceeding.

I Must Not Be A Mother

Either MSO did not get the memo that it was Mother's Day yesterday or I must be that bad to not get a card or even a "Happy Mother's Day"...for the second time in my motherhood of a life. Lifehacker has a post about giving your mom the gift of self-care. Did I get any of that? Nope. No day off from any kind of responsibilities for me. Washed, hung, and threw in the dryer about four loads of laundry among other household things without having a chance to relax and take care of myself. What's the gift of time?! In MSO's eyes, moms must not do a lot of work and need any type of pampering to be recognized on even the second Sunday of May...But he can tell you what teams are leading their respective series in the NBA playoffs. I'm so lucky!

Industrial Fallout

Was talking with Super K and he mentioned that a fallout is occurring from the construction of none other than Keola La`i. Super K started noticing his wife's car, although not a new car, is rusting. He further surmised that something had gone amiss when conversing with a guy who mentioned his wife's car is parked in the same area during the day and her BMW(!) is also rusting. This is three blocks away! Yes, three blocks away. Boy, oh boy.

Apparently this has been a complaint in numbers. Super K, after talking with a few people and getting in touch with their construction office, was able to easily arrange a visit to have his wife's car evaluated in order to resolve the issue. No hassles, no runarounds. What a surprise. Still, I'd be pissed if that happened to my vehicle. And imagine people just walking around that area! You gotta use some type of mask. As much as possible keep away from areas where all those (money-draining) condos are being built.

Tooth Decay Rising

Reading the news can be very informative but yet so disturbing. That's why I tend to read fun and uplifting stories. Same goes for movies - comedy, action, happy ending-type movies are preferred. How does this tie in to tooth decay? It's because tooth decay is on the rise due to preschoolers (!) eating too much sugar in the form of processed snack foods, fruit snacks, juice boxes, candy, and soda!

Now don't get me wrong, there are many other news pieces that are waaay more disturbing but a rise in preschoolers with tooth decay?! That's important stuff! You only have one set of teeth that's supposed to last you to the grave. Yeah, there are alternatives but how gross is that.

"Parents should begin bringing their children to the dentist at age 1." Age 1 huh? Dentists must have some patience with their patients. =S
"Parents also must help their young children brush properly." Adults can barely brush properly. (Can we say electric toothbrushes?)

Reasons Celebrities Make Lousy Parents

According to Helen A.S. Popkin, MSNBC contributor, these are the top 10 reasons why celebrities shouldn't have kids. It's funny writing but at the same time it's sad 'cause you have to realize that these are actual parents and kids with actual feelings that get so magnified via the paparazzi and media.

1. Innate inability to distinguish between healthy parent-child communication and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” The verbal abuse received by most kids isn’t nearly as eloquent as that now infamous (and well-annunciated) rant Alec Baldwin deposited on his 11-year-old (or 12-year-old, he doesn't seem sure) daughter’s voice mail...

2. Amicable divorces even creepier than those that go DEFCON 1. Yes, yes, a decade-plus of well-publicized avarice among Baldwin and Basinger is shameful, ugly and undoubtedly damaging to their only child...

3. Inability to choose appropriate stepparents. Uncle Ashton indeed!...

4. Insistence on wrecking soccer games for everyone. Who’s going to pay attention to little Isabelle or Connor Kidman-Cruise kicking a goal, when you can gawk at the paparazzi gawking at...

5. Don’t allow biological children nearly as much press as those Third World kids Mommy and Daddy keep adopting. It’s bad enough when rich-and-famous moms, dads or both force real-world values by making their kids do chores and throwing away toys left out of the toy box...

6. Can’t find child-size Louis Vuitton dog carriers. Teacup Chihuahua breeders would do well to take note of People magazine’s popular “baby bump” issues...

7. Safety schmafety! Though it seems obvious to us regular folk, you don’t dangle babies from balconies (Michael Jackson) or...

8. The whole naming thing. This point is obvious and overplayed. Yet celebrities still don’t get it. Nobody’s getting a Golden Globe for...

9. Even more reality shows. If celebrities aren’t willing to put children first, at least they should consider their fans. Screwed-up celebrity children...

10. No wire hangers. Ever. We don’t want to read their tell-all memoirs either.

Hey, these reasons are not according to me. I think it is rather difficult for them to always be under the radar so to speak but at the same time it's not impossible to be a loving, sensible, and present parent too. They have such a tough life. (Sarcasm intended)

Pet Peeve Web Site

Saw this article today via The Honolulu Advertiser and it made me think what my pet peeves are. Alright, I know I've mentioned some here, here, here, and here in the past but could I possibly have more? Although I try not to sweat the small stuff, I indeed do have more. And you probably got at least one too. As the article and the Web site says, "just about everybody out there had a pet peeve." If you feel like sharing, what are some of yours?

Killjoy for Parents Kids

Much of my childhood memories are unfortunately suppressed so I can't say for sure whether I would tear open a toy when receiving it, but I gotta say, the way toys are packaged today is just downright brutal for parents kids.

For a child, all he/she sees is the toy in its nicely wrapped, marketing focused package, and he/she focuses on getting to that toy to start playing with no matter what. But all the parent sees are these damn tightly twisted wraps to hold the object of their child's current affection.

I had been untying these wraps nicely to save them for MSO who requested they be kept for "later use" (gets that from his father), but I'm fed up. Fed up with having my our child's enthusiasm muted by these evil things, and with having so many of them around to remind us what tribulations we went through. I will now resort to using our delicate but hefty scissors carefully crafted in one of the world's oldest civilizations.

Lifehacker Lover

Does anyone else think this is a wondrous site? It's filled with all types of goodies that help you, well, "geek to live" as they say.

One of today's posts, Learn the finer points of puncuation, contained a link to this article about "10 flagrant grammar mistakes". I know I've been guilty of some of these but this is a big pet peeve that you probably see on a daily basis. So take note the correct ways 'cause you don't want to look stupid, do you? Go ahead and share others that you have encountered.

Another post that we just may have to try out in our cabinets involves 2x4s. Cheaper than purchsing those slide out types of baskets that we were looking to get. The clutter of cans can be overwhelming, especially when you keep buying something that you already have at the back of the cabinet. Makes you almost want to create a spreadsheet using Docs & Spreadsheets to keep track of the cabinet's contents. =)

I'll now get my overload of cuteness to help me through the week...

Maybe Down To Earth

Made my way to the Pearlridge Down To Earth store yesterday and as soon as I walked into the door I could just smell the healthiness. Or maybe it was all that aromatherapy crap by the door. It's a rather small store with rather small and short aisles. One small annoyance is that it felt as though I was constantly moving out of the way for their employees who were in numbers. Everywhere I turned there was an employee. Whether restocking, helping a customer, or just standing there, one was unfortunately where I wanted to be.

Another small annoyance was that one of the employees asked me if I needed help looking for something. I politely informed him that I didn't need help and that I was just looking. His reply of "Okaay." rubbed me the wrong way as it implied that I should be asking for his help and that I was missing out on his grandiose, exceptional knowledge of the health and beauty products we were surrounded by. Whatever.

Then, I finally head to the cashier with my basket full of organic and no-meat products only to be rung up by a multitasking employee, eating chips from a container right next to the register (Yuck, touching dirty $$$!), answering every call that comes in and transferring those calls, and looking closely at the products to see where the barcodes are in order to ring them up thus taking longer. (Maybe he's new or maybe he just can't remember where barcodes are on the products that he constantly rings up.)

Oh, and to finish off the transaction, he doesn't even hand me my receipt. It's left on the counter for me to pick up myself! Guess I should be appreciative that he wished me a nice evening. Not!

I just left there feeling like what the hell just happened. I also thought of another store that I could go to for the type of products that they sell and I came across a possible meaty alternative to Down To Earth. We'll see.

Famous Means Invincible?

I don't watch 'Lost' and I don't know him but the comments that Josh Holloway has made regarding HI police and all that famous crap kinda annoys me. Sometimes I do feel like yeah, go catch the real criminals too but whatcha gonna do? And yeah, maybe they are targeted a bit more but I mean, come on! Going 53 in a 35 zone - speeding (Holloway, Monaghan (Twice!), Andrews (Twice!), Somerhalder). Disobeying a police officer (Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Driving without a license (Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Monaghan). No motor vehicle insurance (Perrineau Jr.). Drunken-driving (Rodriguez, Watros). Michelle Rodriquez even had the gall to complain the bracelet "is like a freaking VCR, and why do they care if I drink, what am I gonna do, drink and walk over someone, I have no license." Who does such preposterous things?! Only TV/movie stars who think just because they're famous means they're invincible from the law!!!

Comb-Over Talk

The subject of hair somehow came about while chatting with my supervisor (Super K) today. Funny, I forgot how hair came about. I was very surprised to discover he had never heard of the word comb-over. You hear that? That's me patting myself on the back for actually enlightening him with great stuff like comb-over and muffin top. Haha, I can be such a dork.

Anyways, decided to use trusty ole Google to give him a view of the unsightly chaos that is a comb-over. And I don't mean to be mean or wish it upon anyone to get bald, including myself, but there's just something so not right about comb-overs. There was some doubt that a picture of a comb-over would show up after hitting Enter, however, the task was fulfilled and now Super K is able to associate comb-over with what he has seen so many times throughout his wise years but just never knew what they were called.

Writer Melena Z. Ryzik divulges the Divine secrets of the combover brotherhood...

Picture Annoyances

What the f#@* is going on with pictures - posting and viewing - on Blogger lately?! Is a switch to Wordpress really inevitable?

Incorrect Archiving

Damn posts are incorrectly being archived. Did a search through Blogger's Help page and the Blogger Help Group and it appears that others have experienced the same thing. Supposedly it's being worked on.