It seems that everywhere you turn there are new warnings about foods, drugs, or products that may harm your health. Never are these warnings taken more seriously than when they affect our children. BPA is one of those products that has made the headlines lately. As scientists warn of the potential harm caused by BPA, public concern has grown as we attempt to uncover the facts concerning this potentially harmful substance threatening our families.
What is it?
BPA, or Bisophenol-A, is a synthetic estrogen used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastics including many hard plastics such as shatterproof sports bottles, baby bottles and sippy cups, plastic containers, breast pumps, canned food, formula can linings, and even some toys. BPA has been found to cause health problems in animals and tests have shown that small amounts of BPA can leech into food products contained in plastic containers and lined cans.
Scientists have expressed concern over the possible effects of BPA since the 1980s. Numerous studies conducted over the past 20 years have revealed that BPA may be linked to reproductive health problems, premature puberty, prostate and breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and neural and behavioral disorders. While many of these studies substantiated claims that BPA could be absorbed through plastics, the FDA has maintained that the current regulations for BPA concentration in food containers is far below the level necessary to pose a health risk.
The Controversy
This past year has brought even more controversy as the National Taxicology Program, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Food and Drug Administration presented new findings on the safety of BPA. Although there is no conclusive evidence yet that BPA exposure at current levels affects human health, growing concern has arisen as a result of years of flawed and incomplete research studies. Through all recent developments and evidence to prove otherwise, the FDA maintains, “A margin of safety exists that is adequate to protect consumers, including infants and children, at the current levels of exposure”.
As the public has become more aware of the potential harm of BPA in recent years, manufacturers and retailers have reacted quickly to the growing concern, by removing BPA from many, if not all, of their products. Walmart, Babies R Us and Nalgene are just some of the retailers that will no longer sell products containing the controversial BPA. Governments are also reacting to the public’s concern. Although California and Canada have agreed with the findings published by the FDA, they responded to the concern of their citizens and have taken steps to ban the sale of products containing BPA.
How to Protect Your Family
So what can you do to ensure that your family remains safe as governments and scientists continue this debate?
Many families have opted to remove BPA from their households, believing it’s better to be safe than sorry. Others trust in the safety of FDA approved products. The choice is yours, but if you’d like to remove BPA from your household, below you’ll find some steps you can take to live BPA free.
Look for plastic type recycling identifiers. Fortunately, due to the quick steps of major retailers, it is now easy to identify new items that are BPA free. But how can you know if the products you already own contain BPA? If the plastic product does not explicitly advertise that it is BPA free, you can examine new and old plastics for their plastic type identifier. Type 7 and 3 plastics may leach BPA. If the product does not contain this marking, you can call the manufacturer directly.
Avoid warming any food products in plastics that contain BPA. Research has shown that heating foods in BPA containers causes BPA to leach into the food and increases rates of absorbency and potential risk.
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