Now Seems Clear Some Baby Bottles are Harmful

[BigDaddy2]

Most Polybcarbonate plastics contain Bisphenol A which migrates into any food or drink in contact with it without any heating (just repeated washing is enough for the Bisphenol to begin coming out of the plasticleeching). Its been known since the 30's that Bisphenol A behaves like the female hormone Estrogen but no-one in the plastics industry bothered thinking one further step ahead to work out what effect it may have on our babies!

www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-plastics3aug03,0,234908.story?coll=la-home-cent er

Theres some daily dosages information on Wikipedia which is pretty scary (see the table on this page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A )

The European Food Safety Authority study clearly shows using a Polycarbonate bottle significantly increases a babies exposure to Bisphenol A www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/afc/afc_opinions/bisphenol_a.html

Lastly this is an American page but shows which manufacturers have Bisphenol A in their products - again it makes depressing reading with NONE of the bottles from major manufacturers like Avent being Bisphenol A free. zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/07/z-report-bisphenol-in-polycarbonate.html

Just look up Bisphenol A on Google - scary stuff - I'm replacing all our bottles today!

[littlelapininhercar]

Yikes! We have everything Avent.

Nothing in the world is safe these days, is it . Those Medela bottles look like the way forward, what are you switching too?

[BigDaddy2]

I agree very little IS safe these days but until we vote with our cash manufacturers will continue to pump out dodgy products like this.

Not sure what I'm going with yet - and frankly I care not a jot as long as theres none of this chemical anywhere near my DS!!!

[purplepants]

BigDaddy - just so you know... lavender oil(in loads of baby products to help them sleep)and soya (often now in breads/pastries/biscuits) also have an oestrogen mimicking effect and should be used with caution.

[GroaningGameGirly]

That's interesting, PP. DD1 was dairy intolerant and was on soya milk/products for the first 3 years of her life. She then went through early puberty. I wonder if it's related ...??

[Pixiefish]

I had an avent breastpump last time and bottles (although we didn't manage to use them as she'd only take ebm from a soft spouted cup.

So looks like I'll have to get a medela pump as well tehn

[MrsPuddleduck]

I have been pondering when to move DS2 on to beakers of milk rather than his bottles (is now 16 months)

Will be starting from tonight!

Avent Sterilizer has now "given up" after second lot of usage so wil use different bottles next time.

Was anyone ever going to let us know about this? What made you start to look BigDaddy2?

[BigDaddy2]

purplepants - yes I'd heard this one - Have desisted from using lavender bath products myself! Heard tea tree oil is also suspect for the same reason!

[BigDaddy2]

wilmouse - didn't look for this info just happened across the article from the LA Times when surfing the web - once I had lifted my jaw back off my desk what I had read sunk in and I found the other sites/links below.

What scares me is the way our society isn't really geared up to deal with such things - you'll no doubt hear little about this in the media and lots of parents with feed their darling children from Polycarbonate bottles for many years no doubt.

And then we wonder why people are so different today than they were! (e.g. the ever decreasing average sperm count).

[BigDaddy2]

should just add that this is a problem for Polycarbonate bottles only - these tend to be hard and clear. Cups such as the Avent Magic Cup are safe as they made from something that doesn't leak toxins.

[TheBlonde]

So which brands of bottle are free of this stuff then?

[KITTENSOCKS]

I read this thread with great concern, as I had used polycarbonate bottles and breast pump with my now grown up son, would not have if this knowledge had been available then. However, this is what I have found out from the high street and internet;

Recycling numbers on plastic items (triangle of arrows with a number in it on the bottom of items) indicate what a product is made of . Numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 are all polyethylene or polyprpylene and are SAFE. Numbers 3 PVC, 6 polystyrene, and 7 polycarbonate and others are NOT SAFE.
Check teething toys are made from safe plastics, and use silicone teats and dummy teats, because latex has a toxin agenda of its own.

Bottles that are safe:

GLASS expressed milk storage - mainly from eco wesites.

MAM ULTIVENT - now available is a compatible manual breast pump,
from Boots and Mothercare World.

MELEDA - bottles and pumps.

MILK STORAGE BAGS.

STERIBOTTLES.

AVENT VIA RECYCLABLE CONTAINERS AND MAGIC CUPS - shame the pump looks like polycarbonate. Smaller magic cups have volume graduations and might be able to replace the spout with a teat for young babies.

CLOSER TO NATURE TOMMEE TIPPEE - breast pump looks as though it's not polycarbonate, but the collection bottle is, if it could be used with a TT EASIFLOW BEAKER it would be BPA free. These beakers have graduation too, but don't know if the spout can be replaced with a teat.
TT also make a TIP IT UP trainer 6m+ and sportster 12m+ beaker with silicone spouts, again don't know if they can be replaced with teats.

BOOTS BOTTLE TO CUP TRAINER same shape as their bottles, but not polycarbonate, may take teats, and has graduations.

MOTHERCARE WIDE NECK BOTTLE TO CUP TRAINER - very similar to the TT closer to nature predecessor, the one with the nubbly teats (nuby) but has handles. A full bottle size with graduations, and a teat.

PLAYTEX PREMIUM NURSER system, with liners, rigid or bag type. These are safe because although the bottle is polycarbonate, the milk never touches it as it is contained in the liner. Used to be available in Toys r us, but didn't see any so may not be popular in U.K. Best bet is online.

Most toddler beakers are safe, but there are a few which look suspect, those which are as transparent as bottles. Basically, if they are cloudy looking, feel slightly flexible or are totally opaque they are O.K.

This was quite a difficult exercise, as not everything is labelled with the material it's made from, or if it is, it's hidden within packaging. I hope that who ever reads this will be able to make an informed choice about baby feeding items.

[robin3]

Anyone know about the Nuk range...teets/bottles and dummies. We use these but I have no idea if they are safe.

[casbie]

scary!

[LadyOfTheFlowers]

my avent bottles say 'pc' under the triangle wotsit, are they okay?
what about doctor browns? the honey brown and the clear ones?

[Dropdeadfred]

dr browns bottles atre all safe, tbh i thought this info was already available a year or so ago?

[preggersagain]

i'm guessing the pc on the avent bottles stands for polycarbonate, therefore not safe.

[Halster]

'Baby B Free' bottles are Bisphenol free I think. Hence the name. Like Dr Browns but made from different pale brown plastic.

[KITTENSOCKS]

PC probably means polycarbonate which contains bisphenol A, any of the bottles which are as transparent as glass and are rigid (most of the ones on the market really) are polycarbonate. If they look like the MAM ultivent, a bit cloudy looking like takeaway tubs, they're O.K.

[Trinityrhino]

ffs cannot believe this at all

[casbie]

why not trinity?

[LadyOfTheFlowers]

daddy's link says dr.browns are bad too.
i have some mam ultivent ones, will haveto use them till dh gets paid and buy some more i guess.

[LIZS]

Has anyone actually confirmed that this isn't just scaremongering - with Trading Standards, Govt Food Standards Agency etc - like the mattress wrapping. You can find all sorts on the tinternet, doesn't make it accurate, give any perspective or informed risk factors. btw the link I saw suggested it was in the cans in which you buy baby formula and baby food ....

[KITTENSOCKS]

I don't know whether the Baby bfree bottles are available in the U.K.,not in the shops, so probably only online. While there's a profit to be made the big feeding bottle manufacturers will continue to promote their products. If there were obvious problems being caused by polycarbonate bottles, they'd have to recall them, but because the effects may not be seen until many years down the line they won't do anything.

[Dropdeadfred]

sorry i had the baby b free ones too - they have a leaflet inside the bottles syaing why they don't have those chemicals in their bottles and i bought them nearly two years ago so info has been around a while

[barbamama]

For some reason I think the Dr Brown ones used to9 be ok when they were brown but I believe when they cahnged to clear ones they are no longer ok.