December 30th, 2008 · No Comments

“People are deeply concerned about plastics leaching into their food and the many risks to children,” says Kathleen Schuler, a Senior Policy Analyst for the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy.

“We focus on children and adults and children in childbirth stage, (because) chemicals are passed through to infants. And we focus a lot on children because they are most vulnerable,” Schuler said.

The problem, she explains, has been that the government-approved “safe” levels of BPA fail to take into account multiple exposures to a chemical, and therefore fall short of being as protective as needed.

“What is the exposure level from a baby bottle? This is what the FDA asks and then concludes that they (babies) will get this much exposure so therefore it’s safe. What regulation does not take into account is the other exposures that could be in breast milk, or water, or in the many different exposures,” she said.

And its the cumulative exposure that matters, she explained. That’s what can raise a child’s risk of developmental disorders, birth defects, cancer or any number of health effects linked to chemicals found in plastics such as BPA.

Other plastics of concern include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is considered harmful when burned and also can contain phthalates, a plastic softener that’s also been shown to disrupt the endocrine system; and polystyrene, which has been linked to certain cancers for workers with extensive exposure to it, according to the Ecology Center’s compendium of dangers in plastics. Both PVC and polystyrene (styrofoam) are non-biodegradable and generally not recyclable, taking a heavy toll on the natural environment.

“Is all the concern necessary or unnecessary?” asks Schuler, echoing the core question. Yes, she says, within reason.

“Parents shouldn’t have to go into a store and worry about buying a baby bottle for their children,” she said.

In fact, these days, parents can choose BPA-free bottles from major manufacturers like Playtex or newer companies like Think Baby whose focus is on making baby bottles and tot dinnerware that is free of BPA, phthalates, lead and other toxins. (They’re available online, at Whole Foods Markets and Target stores.)

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