Avoiding BPA

In 2008, I threw all of my firstborn’s baby bottles away. Well, actually I recycled them, but away they went. He was only 1 at the time, we planned to have more children (and subsequently did), but we’d have to start anew on the baby bottle front because the ones I had had Bisphenol A (BPA) in them and I didn’t think they were safe for him to use.

A few people thought I was crazy at the time. After all, the FDA had just made a statement that they believed BPA, a common food additive and plasticizer, was safe, after several government reports were published questioning its safety. However, into the recycling bin they went, along with all other water bottles and food canisters that had BPA in them that were filling my cupboards.

Fast forward to 2010 and earlier this month, the FDA recanted their original claim and now states that BPA is not safe for consumption. Unfortunately, 93 percent of Americans tested had BPA in their urine with formula feeding infants among the most in danger.

Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor, a synthetic estrogen, may be a cause for obesity and diabetes and affects one’s thyroid detrimentally. New research has linked BPA with heart disease in adults, breast and prostate cancers and interference with brain cell connections vital to memory, learning and mood.

Not only that, but BPA in the environment interferes with soil’s ability to absorb nitrogen, one of the leading elements needed to produce healthy crops and plants.

The good news? Since the initial BPA scare in 2008, the top six major producers of baby bottles and sippy cups no longer use BPA in those products sold in the United States. Nalgene, one of the leading producers of polycarbonate bottles, has switched to largely BPA-free production (including their sippy cups, which is one of my household’s favorites) and what used to be an expensive solution, switching to stainless steel water bottles, now can be found inexpensively at your neighborhood supermarket.

The bad news? BPA is an ingredient in the plastic linings of every canned food, used to protect the food from direct contact with metal, including everything from fruits, vegetables, tuna and beans, to sodas and baby formula. BPA has been known to leach from the linings of canned foods; a recent study in Canada concluded that most canned sodas had low, but measurable quantities of BPA in them.

Most human exposure to BPA is due to diet.

Unfortunately, while the FDA has now made the claim that BPA is unsafe for consumption, the FDA also can not regulate or ban BPA in commercial food production because it was classified years ago as an indirect food additive; a substance that is granted that status is not subject to FDA review and it would take legislation to change its status. Currently, a federal ban on BPA in all food contact has been proposed in Congress, but nothing has yet been decided.

So what can a concerned parent do? Avoid BPA exposure where you can:

– Avoid polycarbonate plastics, particularly those labeled as plastics #3 and #7 (note: not all #3 and #7 plastics contain BPA. Some of Nalgene’s new BPA-free bottles are actually labeled #7 plastics, but be aware and educate yourself before purchase. If it doesn’t specifically say BPA-Free, it probably isn’t.) Do not store food or drink in polycarbonate plastics and do not eat or drink from them. In our home, we’ve replaced our baby bottles with glass bottles, I use the Evenflo brand and they fit onto Medela breastpumps, and we’ve transitioned to BPA-free plastic and stainless steel water bottles.

– Because BPA is in the linings of almost all industrially-produced canned foods, start shopping to avoid them. Buy and eat fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, purchase canned tomatoes or juices in glass or food safe plastic jars or bottles, avoid canned sodas and contact your baby formula producers and ask them if the cans they sell formula in are BPA-free. If not, demand they change.

– Consider self-sustainability. Though we still have cans of tomato paste and sauce in our pantry, we’re hoping to transition to home canned (in glass jars) tomatoes this year once our garden is in full swing. We’ll also be buying from local farmer’s markets and freezing and canning fruits and vegetables that we can’t grow ourselves in our own small garden. Unfortunately, home canning may still cause some exposure to BPA because all American-made jar lids (Kerr, Ball and Mason, all owned by the Jarden Home Brands Corporation) have BPA in their sealant lining. Many home canners concerned about BPA exposure are considering switching to German made Weck and Leifleit lids and made in the USA Tattler lids (which, luckily, fit American standard and wide-mouth lids so you can use the jars you already own – AND they’re reusable!) I’m considering ordering some Tattler lids this year, and writing Jarden Home Brands a letter asking them to remove BPA from their lids . . . if you’re a home canner, I encourage you to do the same!

– Contact your Congressional representative and voice your opinion.

Use your grocery dollars and voice your opinion as a consumer and citizen. If enough of us do so, we can make a difference.

Originally written for and published by Momaha.com on January 26, 2010