First let me explain a little bit more about what BPA is. "Bisphenol A (BPA) is a hormone-mimicking chemical used in polycarbonate plastic resins, epoxy resins, and other products. It is most commonly used in baby bottles or any type of hard shatterproof plastic containers. It is also found in the lining of canned goods, plastic wrap and other household plastics. Bisphenol has estrogenic properties which, in animal tests has shown to cause a bevy of health problems such as an increase in prostate and breast cancer, uro-genital abnormalities in male babies, a decline in semen quality in men, early onset of puberty in girls, metabolic disorders including insulin-resistant (Type 2) diabetes and obesity ADHD, infertility, and miscarriages". Essentially Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor, which can mimic the body's own hormones and may lead to negative health effects.[1]
"A panel convened by the U.S. National Institutes of Health determined that there was "some concern" about BPA's effects on fetal and infant brain development and behavior.[2] A 2008 report by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) later agreed with the panel, expressing "some concern for effects on the brain".[3]
In January 2010 the FDA expressed the same level of concern" [4]. Yet despite this concern, we are exposing our children to BPA at a very young age, sometimes from birth, through their infant formula. For some moms, like me, that have a child with CHD that has been hospitalized, breast feeding no longer becomes an option, and the only choice we have is formula. If the makers of formula don't care enough to protect our children, then we need to demand they listen to us and find a safer alternative to BPA.
Of course, "according to the Environmental Working Group, cans are the primary source of human exposure to the chemical. (Most metal food cans have plastic linings that prevent spoilage but are rich in bisphenol A.). A study published in 2007, found that 99 percent of children's exposure to BPA occurs through food. After the Environmental Working Group tested 97 name-brand canned goods, it concluded that 1 in 3 infant food cans, and 1 in 10 food cans overall, contains enough BPA to expose a woman or infant to levels more than 200 times the government's traditional safe level for industrial chemicals"! [5].
While reports are controversial as to the safety or harm of BPA in consumer products, the one thing that is consistent is that companies that use BPA in their products insist it is harmless.
I, for one, am tired of all the junk added to our food, and so our family has made a commitment to either buy fresh produce (locally grown), grow our own (vegetables and herbs) and cook our food from scratch (knowing exactly what goes into each dish). But for the things I can't change and still have to buy (BPA in formula), I am sending a letter to the companies I shop at demanding better from them, and I hope you will as well.
Great article on this found here.
