If BPA is so terrible why do they still make bottles with BPA?

[connorlevismom]

I am in the process of researching items to buy for the new baby. With our last child we had really nice Dr. Browns bottles but ended up selling them (and everything else) in a garage sale last year. We thought we were done having kids so now I am trying to weed through baby stuff once again.

My question is, I keep hearing how horrible BPA is but the BPA FREE bottles seem so outrageous in price! They still make ones that are not BPA FREE so I am wondering why they still do that if BPA is so horrible. If it were that terrible would'nt they force people to make non-BPA products?

Can anyone help me out here? I don't want to harm my child but the price of these bottles seems so expensive! FTR - my son had Dr. Browns bottles which were pricey but this was before they whole BPA scare so I am kind of at a loss here.

Kristine

 

[Lexie]

We have a bunch of Avent bottles that aren't "bpa free" but we still use them. I think the key is that the chemicals are released only when you boil the bottle or use extremely hot water. We just wash them with soap and warm water. A lot of people freak out over the small things, like swine flu. I tend to think it's the medias fault for needing something new to hype and scare people nearly every week

 

[Disneychix]

I used regular bottles and powder formula from the lined cans and my DS was even in the NICU for the first 6 weeks of his life!

I agree that if the chemicals were so terribly harmful and dangerous that no one would be allowed to make them or sell them. It's not like you can only buy them at garage sales or Ebay. Manufacturers are are still making these items.

 

[snoopy5386]

once we all thought DDT was safe as well. Why do they still make products with BPA? Why else, $$$$. They will continue to do so until the government bans it. And don't think they don't have a big lobby in Washington either, they do. BPA is an endocrine disruptor and can mimic the body's own own hormones such as estrogen, that is the concern. It is possible that early puberty that we see (aka girls getting pubic hair and periods at age 6) is linked to BPA. You can get a 3 pack of evenflo BPA free 8 oz bottles for $3 at babiesrus, so I am not seem the cost issue?? A 3 pack of BPA free 8 oz Dr. Browns are $14.99, how many bottles do you need? I breastfed my DD, so I really have no idea, but I can't imagine needing more than 8 or 10. Are you really talking about saving that much money? There are lots of places I could skimp money with a baby, but BPA free bottles are not one of them.

 

[tinkerlisa]

We have a bunch of Avent bottles that aren't "bpa free" but we still use them. I think the key is that the chemicals are released only when you boil the bottle or use extremely hot water. We just wash them with soap and warm water. A lot of people freak out over the small things, like swine flu. I tend to think it's the medias fault for needing something new to hype and scare people nearly every week

I highly agree on the media hype.

Just don't microwave the bottle or boil it and it should be fine. Eventually, the BPA free bottles WILL replace the regular ones and hopefully the price will drop for them. If it really was that bad, they wouldn't be selling the ones that have BPA in them.

On another note:
My SIL wouldn't drink from my cups because they are plastic. She is the kind of person who believes EVERYTHING she hears...She always asks if my kid's sippy cups are BPA free. She also started buying everything in glass bottles(like the EXPENSIVE OJ) and milk in a carton.
She is not a mother, but if she was, her kid would be in a bubble(like the commercial,LOL) She won't use Sunscreen(despite the fact that her sister has melanoma) or bug spray. Even the kind that is natural, like Burt's Bees brand.

 

[tinkerlisa]

once we all thought DDT was safe as well. Why do they still make products with BPA? Why else, $$$$. They will continue to do so until the government bans it. And don't think they don't have a big lobby in Washington either, they do. BPA is an endocrine disruptor and can mimic the body's own own hormones such as estrogen, that is the concern. It is possible that early puberty that we see (aka girls getting pubic hair and periods at age 6) is linked to BPA. You can get a 3 pack of evenflo BPA free 8 oz bottles for $3 at babiesrus, so I am not seem the cost issue?? A 3 pack of BPA free 8 oz Dr. Browns are $14.99, how many bottles do you need? I breastfed my DD, so I really have no idea, but I can't imagine needing more than 8 or 10. Are you really talking about saving that much money? There are lots of places I could skimp money with a baby, but BPA free bottles are not one of them.

They had the same problem with steroids being in red meat being linked to early puberty once.

 

[AmyBWV99]

We reused our regular Avent bottles for DS#2 that we had left from DS#1, they are both happy and healthy. I know lots of people freaked out and ran them all back to that stores to exchange them at the hint of a BPA scare but honestly until someone proves with absolute certainty that they are complete poison I don't feel the need to overlaod land fills with every bottle or Nalgene bottle we've ever owned. We never boil or microwave them but that had nothing to do with BPA, we never did before.

 

[~Kristina~]

I use Evenflo glass nursers - same price as Evenflo plastic. But for sippy's I buy Born Free. I've been buying them one at a time since I was about 30 weeks pregnant.

 

[mickeywho?]

Well, the Canadian government is in the process of banning BPA from our store shelves - so I would imagine it wouldn't take long for other countries to follow. We tend to be followers regarding this type of thing but it seems there must be something to all this "media hype".

A link: http://www.healthyontario.com/NewsItemDetails.aspx?newsitem_id=1339
from the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/18/AR2008041803036.html

 

[Colleen27]

They're still made because some companies won't do the right thing until forced. Look at the whole lead paint fiasco recently - that is a well documented hazard but that didn't stop some manufacturers, did it?

I also think there are some who deny that BPA is harmful or think they don't heat their baby's bottles enough for it to become unstable and start leeching out, but I think it is a rare mom these days that never uses a dishwasher and that's plenty hot enough to trigger the problem. Personally I use glass, not just because of chemical concerns with plastics (and I'm not entirely convinced that we won't find something equally harmful in BPA free plastics eventually) but also because of the ecological permanence of plastic. Yes, glass is a little more expensive but the peace of mind is worth it IMO.

BTW, not all BPA-free bottles are pricey. I just did a diaper cake & gift basket for a cousin's shower and I was impressed by the fact that there are inexpensive BPA free bottles now, because when I was pregnany with DD9mo they were harder to find and mostly the "boutique" brands like Born Free. Basic Evenflo bottles are BPA free now and cost $3 for a 3 pack. The angled style Evenflos are $10 for 3.

 

[PrincessPeyton]

We used the Playtex Drop-Ins with my first, DD2, and kept them for my next one due in 3 weeks. I was happy to find out that they are not only super easy to clean and use BUT they have always been BPA-free. I am not the kind of parent that freaks out about every little thing but it was reassuring to know it was something i didn't even have to think about. PLUS they are about the same price you would pay for other bottles, just look for them on sale!

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

I used Dr. Brown's with my first son and reused them for my twins. I did find some Gerber and Evenflo BPA Free ones at Target for less than $5.00 for a 3 pack, so I bought them and have just used them for the last 6 months. I went back to get another pack and they haven't had them in stock there or Target or Babies R Us. Depending on wear you live, I think the less expensive BPA Free are harder to find.

I have also heard as long as you don't heat the bottles in the microwave, dishwasher, or boil them there isn't a risk of the chemicals being released.

 

[El&Asmom]

I agree, just because a child who used BPA bottles is perfectly healthy does not negate the fact that a product they used could have been harmful. I read a bunch of research and it's pretty compelling. The high concentrations of bpa are actually in the formula, specifically the liquid formula. (I think the one that you have to add water to). We bf till the bottle stage is well over, but I work two days a week and pump so I'm not familiar with all the different types of formula. The levels noted in the liquid formulas were startling compared to what a child would receive in a bottle or the powdered versions.
We traded our old Dr. Brown bottles in to BRU for free brand new bpa free bottles. IME, not many companies willingly admit wrong doing by replacing an old product with brand new one if the old ones are perfectly safe.
FWIW, any soft plastic cloudy bottle should be bpa free. The cheap-o bottles are now advertising it even though they always have been.

 

[LocaRoja]

They're still made because some companies won't do the right thing until forced. Look at the whole lead paint fiasco recently - that is a well documented hazard but that didn't stop some manufacturers, did it?

I also think there are some who deny that BPA is harmful or think they don't heat their baby's bottles enough for it to become unstable and start leeching out, but I think it is a rare mom these days that never uses a dishwasher and that's plenty hot enough to trigger the problem. Personally I use glass, not just because of chemical concerns with plastics (and I'm not entirely convinced that we won't find something equally harmful in BPA free plastics eventually) but also because of the ecological permanence of plastic. Yes, glass is a little more expensive but the peace of mind is worth it IMO.
QUOTE]



If you want to use BPA-free or glass bottles, knock yourself out. I'm not quite sure why you are convinced companies aren't doing the right thing as per BPA and that BPA is a well documented hazard? When I'm not stalking the DIS boards, I earn my disney vacations as a reproductive toxicologist. No, I don't work for a chemical company or any company that makes BPA containing products, so I have no agenda in my thoughts below:

Please look at this document prepared by developmental and reproductive toxicologists representing all disciplines (EPA, industry, academics, NIOHS, American Cancer Institute) in 2008:

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/120082051/PDFSTART

This is certainly a well-balanced position piece, peer-reviewed, and published in a leading teratology journal. I certainly don't think you are qualified to suggest that BPA is even in the league of lead.

In case people don't want to read all 239 pages, the panel expresses "minimal" concern for reproductive effects (and yes, this includes endocrine-disrupting effects).

Clearly, there is not enough evidence about BPA to warrant banning it. If there is a risk, it's very minor. I would say the risk of feeding your kids fast food is worse to their health than using these BPA-containing bottles.

I have no vested interest in what bottles people use, but people should know that there is not a problem with using bottles containing BPA.

Okay, off my soapbox. It just annoys me to no end to see people scaring others unneccessarily. There's just too much else more important to worry about.

 

[hardingk]

I think some states have outlawed the BPA bottles. BRU and BBB here only sell BPA free bottles.

 

[princessmom29]

The short answer is that no, it's not a terrible as the media is making out. Can the chemicals in BPA be harmful? Absolutely, in certian circumstances and in high enough doses. Is your child likely to have heath problems as a result? In the vast majority of cases the answer is no. There is little research to support the idea that anything other than a small minority of shildren will ever experience any ill effect at all. Most who do have a host of other complications as well. If you can afford the higher priced BPA free bottles and it makes you feel better by them. If you can't, don't lose sleep over it.

 

[crisi]

Okay, off my soapbox. It just annoys me to no end to see people scaring others unneccessarily. There's just too much else more important to worry about.

Thank you. I spent some time as a statistician. Then I spent some time doing professional risk analysis.

And while I don't trust the government to look out for me in every little respect, I also think that in a lot of cases we make huge deals out of small risks.

 

[RN01]

This is just another one of the many reasons to breastfeed.

 

[El&Asmom]

This is just another one of the many reasons to breastfeed.

 

[Colleen27]

This is just another one of the many reasons to breastfeed.

Well, that only works if you breastfeed exclusively and never pump. A lot of breastfeeding moms, myself included, do use bottles.