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Toxic baby bottles? Hearing today on bisphenol A

Email|Link|Comments (3) Posted by bdaley May 29, 2008 12:05 PM

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff

Boston city councilor at-large John R. Connolly has a personal reason for holding a hearing today about the potential health risks of bisphenol A, the chemical found in many hard durable plastics such as baby bottles and hiking water containers: His seven-week-old daughter.

John R. Connolly

Connolly has been following recent studies showing potential harm to fetuses and infants from exposure to bisphenol A. And he chairs the Boston City Council’s Committee on Environment and Health.

But it was only after his wife - his real source of information, he says - gave birth to Clare they began discussing the issue because baby bottles were going to figure prominently in their future. Were they safe?

"I wanted to have a full hearing and take action,'' said Connolly. "You hear a lot of these reports. You can say seven week old Clare helped me" focus on the issue.

The hearing will be held at 3 p.m. in the Iannella Chamber, 5th Floor of Boston City Hall.
Dr. Michael Shannon, Chair of the Division of Emergency Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Boston; Mia Davis of Clean Water Fund, co-author of Baby’s Toxic Bottle; and Steven Hentges, Ph.D., Executive Director of the American Chemistry Council’s Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group are among those expected to testify.

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3 comments so far...

It ain't just in water bottles. The food and drink industry has been poisoning you for years. Don't look now but it isn't just BPA that's in your food and drink. >>>>>>>>>

Studies show canned foods are a common source of daily BPA exposure in our lives. Cans of soda generally contain less BPA than canned pasta or soup. The worst foods tested contain enough BPA to put pregnant women and formula-fed infants much closer to dangerous levels than the government typically allows. Even some liquid infant formula is packed in cans lined with BPA, which seems ludicrous given the special vulnerabilities of children's developing systems.

In addition to canned food, certain plastics are often made with BPA. Called polycarbonate, these plastics are rigid and clear or translucent and usually marked with a recycling label #7. Not all #7 containers are made with BPA, but it makes for a reasonable and useful guideline for avoiding a category of plastics. Some reusable polycarbonate water bottles (we won't name names), marketed as non-leaching because they minimize plastic taste and odor, may still leach trace amounts of BPA. But hold on before you run out and buy a metal water bottle -- make sure you know what you're getting. Many reusable metal water bottles are lined with the same BPA-leaching plastic found in cans of food.

Posted by Mike May 29, 08 04:03 PM

Can someone cite a definitive scientific study that proves causality? Thus far the evidence is at best inconclusive, yet people insist on crying that the sky is falling.

Posted by Voice of Reason May 30, 08 07:40 AM

If you are intersted in more informatino on these studies and how to get involved with the prevention of cancer, you can look up a local research organization called Silent Spring Institute. http://www.silentspring.org/
They partner with the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition to find the preventable causes of breast cancer. The MBCC's website is www.mbcc.org

Posted by Amy June 4, 08 01:56 PM