Beware of BPA In Your Home

Many retailers have pulled BPA containing baby products from their inventory. Make sure all of your baby items are labeled BPA FREE.

Here is a great product called Baby Banquet and it is a BPA Free baby food and toddler snack dispenser and storage unit. You can view images at www.babybanquet.com. It is a clever and unique product that was invented by a Houston couple out of necessity.

This is why you need it:

If you are not aware of this information, please pay attention. BPA is a compound found in many products such as: Water bottles, glasses, tooth sealants, plastic liners in cans, baby toys, bottles, pacifiers, microwave oven ware and utensils.

The problem is that BPA can leach out of plastic during everyday use, causing health problems. Most notably, BPA mimics the female hormone estrogen and may affect fertility and promote cancer. Studies have also found : enlarges prostate, genital deformities, increased cancer rates in certain organs, pancreatic changes that promote insulin resistance, altered thyroid regulation, structural damage to the brain.

• Plastic that contains BPA carries the #7 recycling symbol on the bottom.
  

• Most clear plastic baby bottles and child cups are made of BPA-containing plastic.

• Dental sealant may leach BPA; this is being debated. You may want to avoid dental sealants on your children's baby teeth.

You can minimize your BPA exposure by:

• Replacing plastic food and drink containers and utensils with glass, ceramic or metal varieties.

• Purchasing glass baby bottles.

• Using baby bottles and sippy cups made of polyethylene plastic (#1, #2, #4 recycling symbols) or polypropylene (#5) (these are usually colored, not clear, and should still not be heated).

• Not using canned foods or foods wrapped in plastic.

• Not letting children put plastic toys in their mouths.

• Being careful with BPA-containing plastics, if you choose to use them. This means not exposing them to heat (microwave, dishwasher) or harsh detergents (bleach, etc.) and not letting food or beverages sit in the containers for too long.

IDENTIFICATION OF PLASTICS (let's get technical)

There are seven classes of plastics used in packaging applications. "Type 7" is the catch-all "other" class, and some type 7 plastics, such as polycarbonate (sometimes identified with the letters "PC" near the recycling symbol) and epoxy resins, are made from bisphenol A monomer. When such plastics are exposed to hot liquids, bisphenol A leaches out 55 times faster than it does under normal conditions, at up to 32 ng/hour.^[ Type 3 (PVC) can also contain bisphenol A as antioxidant in plasticizers.

Types 1 (PET), 2 (HDPE), 4 (LDPE), 5 (polypropylene), and 6 (polystyrene) do not use bisphenol A during polymerization or package forming, and thus will not leach bisphenol A into food or beverages.