Local News
Don’t panic over baby bottles chemical scare
WORCESTERSHIRE's public health chief has told parents not to panic over alleged 'gender-bending' chemicals in baby bottles.
The National Childbirth Trust has called on manufacturers of bottles to put warning labels on baby bottles which contain Bisphenol A.
Research in the US suggests exposure at low levels can cause children fertility problems in later life, breast cancer and early puberty.
Canada is already phasing out bottles made from the chemicals because of health fears and the US chain Wal-Mart is banning them.
According to the National Childbirth Trust, the chemical mimics the effect of the hormone oestrogen in the body, affecting a baby's reproductive, neurological and immune systems.
But Richard Harling, director of public health for Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, said no concerns had been raised by the main health watchdog, the Health Protection Agency (HPA)
He said: "If this is going to cause harm it's usually going to require high doses over a long period of time. I would want to send a message to parents not to panic. If there are concerns about the contamination of milk parents should switch to some other source. Breast is best. We would encourage mothers to breast feed, which gets away from all this. It also has a proven positive influence on the baby."
Helen Hunt, aged 36, of Jackdaw Lane, Droitwich, has two children, Oliver, two, and Daisy, aged one, and is actively involved with the NCT.
She said: "I think we need to be made more aware of these things and the manufacturers should make it very clear what goes into their bottles. They have a responsibility."
The NCT is concerned that the chemical leaks from the plastic used to make baby bottles.
Scratched or damaged bottles are more likely to leak.
Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the NCT, said: "Although the level of risk is not certain, parents are largely unaware of this risk and do not know which bottles to avoid.
"This lack of awareness is concerning."
A spokesman for the Chemical Industries Association said the use of Bisphenol A in food and drink products was given the all-clear by the UK and European food standards authorities last year.
11:17am Friday 9th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Billy on 5:17pm Fri 9 May 08
Luckily there are bpa-free alternatives springing up online like:
http://www.playtexba
by.com/bpafree/info.
html - Playtex has [bold]bpa-free baby bottles[/bold]
http://www.titanwate
rbottle.com sells [bold]bpa-free reusable water bottles for adults.[/bold]
I'm looking for [bold]BPA-free food storage containers[/bold] . Does anyone know of a good retailer for those?
Billy
Luckily there are bpa-free alternatives springing up online like:
http://www.playtexba
by.com/bpafree/info.
html - Playtex has
bpa-free baby bottles
http://www.titanwate
rbottle.com sells
bpa-free reusable water bottles for adults.
I'm looking for
BPA-free food storage containers . Does anyone know of a good retailer for those?
Billy
Posted by: Amelia Royko Maurer, USA on 10:35pm Fri 9 May 08
Richard Harling is quite mistaken. It is quite obvious he does not understand the relationship between BPA, Estrodiol and the human endocrine system. He is dangerously mistaken. It takes one tenth of one trillionth of a gram of extra Bisphenol-a to cause the prostate of a fetal mouse to grow the same amount in 24 hours as it does for the prostate of a grown man in 70 years.
And while he is correct in saying breast is best, if the breast milk contains petroleum-based chemicals, harm can be done. Fortunately we have unbiased scientists and small businesses who pay no mind to Petroleum, Plastic and Chemical Industry clout.
There are many great alternatives to products with BPA and Phthalates.
I will list what my family uses and a source beneath it:
1 - We used Ball jars to store all of our food. (garage sales, a local grocery)
2 - Now we use glass refrigerator dishes that I stock in the store.
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/glfost
.html
3 -I froze all of my daughter's breast milk and homemade baby food in 4 oz glass
jelly jars and was careful to leave room at the top so the glass wouldn't break.
4 - glass baby bottles
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/weekit
chen.html
5 - My daughter's sippy cups are the safest form of stainless steel and made by Klean Kanteen
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/togo.h
tml
6 - Our water bottles are also Klean Kanteen
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/togo.h
tml
7 - We source cosmetics stored in glass and non-BPA plastics.
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/shopbo
dy.html
http://www.afterglow
cosmetics.com/
8 - All of my daughters toys are eco-painted wood, organic cotton or wool
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/shopto
ys.html
http://www.blueberry
forest.com/
9 - we avoid plastic wrappers and get much of our food from a local organic farm. It is clean, super high quality food and easy to do. Kids LOVE it! Many farms near all of us have programs called CSA's where you can get a box of in-season veggies w/great recipes once a week by paying a set fee, or making payments through out the year. Insurance companies such as Unity, Physicians Plus, GHC and many others will offer a rebate for folks joining CSAs. Find your local CSA:
http://www.localharv
est.org/
10 - we use stainless coffee mugs instead of disposeable paper and plastic - can be found at any coffee chop
11 - avoid wearing polycarbonate glasses and lenses on your face and get hip glasses made of metal or... sustainable WOOD with glass lenses.
http://www.iwoodecod
esign.com/iWood_cont
ent.html
12 - buy canned goods from companies that do not line their cans with BPA like Eden Foods and Trader Joes.
13 - avoid supporting the making of Polycarbonate( Bisphenol-A) Compact Discs by purchasing songs digitally and downloading them onto your computer or IPOD.
14 - If you smoke cigarettes - smoke the ones without the filters that contain plastic. If not - you double the harm done!
TO READ THE ORIGINAL PBS INTERVIEW WITH THE SCIENTIST WHO BROKE THE NEWS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF BPA GO HERE:
http://www.pbs.org/w
gbh/pages/frontline/
shows/nature/intervi
ews/vomsaal.html
Hope this helps! I opened my store specifically to offer people a stress-free marketplace that specializes in alternatives to products containing petroleum- based, cancer-causing chemicals.
Kind Regards,
Amelia Royko Maurer
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com
the "If this is going to cause harm it's usually going to require high doses over a long period of time. I would want to send a message to parents not to panic.
Richard Harling is quite mistaken. It is quite obvious he does not understand the relationship between BPA, Estrodiol and the human endocrine system. He is dangerously mistaken. It takes one tenth of one trillionth of a gram of extra Bisphenol-a to cause the prostate of a fetal mouse to grow the same amount in 24 hours as it does for the prostate of a grown man in 70 years.
And while he is correct in saying breast is best, if the breast milk contains petroleum-based chemicals, harm can be done. Fortunately we have unbiased scientists and small businesses who pay no mind to Petroleum, Plastic and Chemical Industry clout.
There are many great alternatives to products with BPA and Phthalates.
I will list what my family uses and a source beneath it:
1 - We used Ball jars to store all of our food. (garage sales, a local grocery)
2 - Now we use glass refrigerator dishes that I stock in the store.
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/glfost
.html
3 -I froze all of my daughter's breast milk and homemade baby food in 4 oz glass
jelly jars and was careful to leave room at the top so the glass wouldn't break.
4 - glass baby bottles
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/weekit
chen.html
5 - My daughter's sippy cups are the safest form of stainless steel and made by Klean Kanteen
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/togo.h
tml
6 - Our water bottles are also Klean Kanteen
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/togo.h
tml
7 - We source cosmetics stored in glass and non-BPA plastics.
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/shopbo
dy.html
http://www.afterglow
cosmetics.com/
8 - All of my daughters toys are eco-painted wood, organic cotton or wool
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com/shopto
ys.html
http://www.blueberry
forest.com/
9 - we avoid plastic wrappers and get much of our food from a local organic farm. It is clean, super high quality food and easy to do. Kids LOVE it! Many farms near all of us have programs called CSA's where you can get a box of in-season veggies w/great recipes once a week by paying a set fee, or making payments through out the year. Insurance companies such as Unity, Physicians Plus, GHC and many others will offer a rebate for folks joining CSAs. Find your local CSA:
http://www.localharv
est.org/
10 - we use stainless coffee mugs instead of disposeable paper and plastic - can be found at any coffee chop
11 - avoid wearing polycarbonate glasses and lenses on your face and get hip glasses made of metal or... sustainable WOOD with glass lenses.
http://www.iwoodecod
esign.com/iWood_cont
ent.html
12 - buy canned goods from companies that do not line their cans with BPA like Eden Foods and Trader Joes.
13 - avoid supporting the making of Polycarbonate( Bisphenol-A) Compact Discs by purchasing songs digitally and downloading them onto your computer or IPOD.
14 - If you smoke cigarettes - smoke the ones without the filters that contain plastic. If not - you double the harm done!
TO READ THE ORIGINAL PBS INTERVIEW WITH THE SCIENTIST WHO BROKE THE NEWS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF BPA GO HERE:
http://www.pbs.org/w
gbh/pages/frontline/
shows/nature/intervi
ews/vomsaal.html
Hope this helps! I opened my store specifically to offer people a stress-free marketplace that specializes in alternatives to products containing petroleum- based, cancer-causing chemicals.
Kind Regards,
Amelia Royko Maurer
http://www.freemarke
torganics.com
the "If this is going to cause harm it's usually going to require high doses over a long period of time. I would want to send a message to parents not to panic.
Posted by: cvj, Worcester on 1:33pm Sat 10 May 08
The stress of worrying about the effect of chemicals and additives is probably far more harmfull than the chemicals and addetives themselves!
The stress of worrying about the effect of chemicals and additives is probably far more harmfull than the chemicals and addetives themselves!
Posted by: stu, royston vasey on 6:58am Sun 11 May 08
I have heard that red wine can react with the bottles and can cause harmful chemicals to be released. So I've started to get my 5 month year old white wine instead
I have heard that red wine can react with the bottles and can cause harmful chemicals to be released. So I've started to get my 5 month year old white wine instead
Posted by: cvj, Worcester on 5:20pm Sun 11 May 08
Good move Stu - tho other reports say red wine is actually beneficial to health
so the positive effect of the red wine may actually out weigh the detrimental effects of the chemicals it releases
cheers!
Good move Stu - tho other reports say red wine is actually beneficial to health
so the positive effect of the red wine may actually out weigh the detrimental effects of the chemicals it releases
cheers!
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