Bottles and BPA

 

Should you be concerned about the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in your baby bottles, sippy cups, and containers?

Competing Opinions

Perspective #1: Since BPA is no longer contained in baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula packaging, plastic bottles shouldn’t be a concern.

Perspective #2: Though BPA is no longer permissible in plastic baby products, those containers are best avoided because other harmful chemicals may still leach from them.

What the Science Says

BPA IS USED to make certain drink and food containers. It hardens plastic, and it’s an ingredient in the lining of cans, preventing rust and offering a barrier to keep bacteria from contaminating foods. But because low levels of the chemical can leach out of the containers and into the food or beverages they house, there has long been concern about its safety. Parents and environmental groups have expressed specific concerns regarding BPA exposure and its effect on endocrine function and the reproductive system. As a result of the awareness these groups have raised, in 2009 the vast majority of manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups voluntarily stopped using BPA. In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics formally advised concerned parents to consider avoiding using clear plastic bottles that might contain BPA. In that same year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially banned BPA as a material to be used in the manufacture of baby bottles and sippy cups.

The FDA made a point, however, of emphasizing that its decision was made to boost consumer confidence and to codify officially what the industry was already doing, not because of actual safety concerns. In other words, as the FDA explained, official approval of the use of certain BPA-based materials in baby bottles, sippy cups, and infant formula packaging “is no longer necessary for the specific use of the food additive because that use has been permanently and completely abandoned.” In fact, the FDA stressed in a 2018 document that it had “performed extensive research and reviewed hundreds of studies about BPA’s safety” and that “current approved uses of BPA in food containers and packaging are safe.” The United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency agrees, and the European Food Safety Authority likewise concludes that “BPA poses no health risk to consumers of any age group (including unborn children, infants and adolescents) at current exposure levels.”

Other environmental and health organizations, including governmental agencies, aren’t so sure, at least about what a safe minimum exposure level is. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the CDC, the Endocrine Society, and the European Chemicals Agency are among those expressing at least a moderate level of concern and calling for additional research. The AAP cites evidence showing that BPA can, alarmingly, “act like estrogen in the body and potentially change the timing of puberty, decrease fertility, increase body fat, and affect the nervous and immune systems.”

Because of these concerns, the AAP recommends using alternatives to plastic, like glass and stainless steel, when you can. It also advises that if you’re going to use plastic bottles, avoid those with recycling codes 3, 6, and 7, unless they’re labeled “biobased” or “greenware,” meaning they’re made from plant or biological material rather than petroleum.

The Bottom Line

UNLESS YOU’RE USING hand-me-down bottles or sippy cups, you don’t have to worry about BPA since it was banned in these products in 2012. But because the jury on the science of how much BPA is “safe” is still very much out, your best bet is to avoid plastic products labeled with recycling codes 3, 6, and 7. We can’t say for sure at this point what risks BPA presents, so until we know, err on the safer side and find ways to avoid it.