HealthyLifeDigest: Safely use of Baby Feed Polycarbonate Bottles

Bisphenol-A (BPA), a hormone like chemical,

used in manufacturing of Baby Feed Polycarbonate Bottles,

can leach into food & drink stored in the bottles.

Previously baby feed bottles are made of glass, but now baby feed bottles made from polycarbonate plastic make up the majority of the baby bottle market, parents have trusted polycarbonate baby bottles to help nurse their babies, polycarbonate baby bottles are among the safest, easiest to use and most economical ways to bottle-feed a baby. Polycarbonate bottles are clear, shatter-resistant, lightweight and cost effective, feeding bottles made of food grade, heat-resistant polycarbonate are introduced from Germany, which is safe and complied with the FDA, their nipples are made of food grade, heat-resistant liquid silicone, which is nitrosamine-free, non-sticky, odorless, safe and conformed to the FDA, the special vent design not only prevents the nipple from collapsing but also avoid baby from swallowing excess air during feeding, polycarbonate plastic has been studied and tested for nearly 50 years, and its use in products that come in contact with food is regulated for safety by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as other governmental bodies worldwide.

What is polycarbonate?

Polycarbonate made from Bisphenol-A (BPA)

Polycarbonates are thermoplastic polymers, received their name because they are polymers having functional groups linked together by carbonate groups (-O-(C=O)-O-) in a long molecular chain, polycarbonates are long-chain linear polyesters of carbonic acid and bisphenol-A (dihydric phenol).

Polycarbonate is a type of plastic that is clear, lightweight, heat resistant, and shatter resistant, a significant safety advantage that makes polycarbonate a great material for a wide variety of applications, many of them involving direct contact with foods and beverages, common examples include baby bottles, reusable sports water bottles, containers for storing and microwaving food, and tableware like food plates and noodle cups, medical and dental devices, dental composite fillings and sealants, because of its toughness, polycarbonate is also used for a variety of other everyday products, like eyeglass lenses, household consumer electronics, bullet-resistant windows, bicycle helmets and other protective safety equipment.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is the key monomer in production of polycarbonate plastic

Bisphenol-A (BPA) it is an important monomer in the production of polycarbonate, is used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate bottles, including water bottles and baby bottles, infant formula cans, also used in many food and beverage containers, coating of food cans and some medical devices, it mimics the hormone estrogen in the body, babies consume it when it leaches from plastic into baby formula, water or food in a polycarbonate container, under normal conditions, low levels of BPA leaches (migrates) into drinking water or food from polycarbonate plastic bottles, recent studies show that the chemical leaks at faster rates after a lot of wear and tear or when exposed to hot liquid, be carefully not mistreated polycarbonate plastics bottles by putting hot things in them or things that would make migration more rapid.

Bisphenol-A was prepared by the condensation of Acetone (A) with two equivalents of phenol. The reaction is catalyzed by an acid, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) or a sulfonated polystyrene resin, typically, a large excess of phenol is used to ensure full condensation, it is used in the synthesis of polyesters, polysulfones, and polyether ketones, as an antioxidant in some plasticizers, and as a polymerization inhibitor in PVC, it is a key monomer in production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins.

What are the health effects of BPA?

BPA (Bisphenol-A, ‘A’ stands for Acetone) does not cause cancer, BPA is a hormone-like chemical, sometime called endocrine disruptors, some studies in laboratory animals suggest that low levels of BPA may have an effect on the reproductive system, similar consequences in consumers at these low concentrations are considered unlikely because BPA is rapidly inactivated and then excreted in the urine, bisphenol-A has low acute toxicity, with an oral LD50 of 3250 mg/kg in rats, but it is an endocrine disruptor, low doses of bisphenol-A can mimic the body's own hormones, possibly causing negative health effects, there is thus concern that long term low dose exposure to bisphenol-A may induce chronic toxicity in humans, this chemical is at the heart of worldwide scientific investigation and a debate over whether it is harmful to the very young babies. The National Toxicology Program has expressed some concern that the chemical alters development of the brain, behavior and the prostate gland in babies, both before and after birth, many parents have thrown out their plastic baby bottles over concerns about bisphenol-A, although bottle makers have recently begun offering BPA-free alternatives, many parents with older bottles at home are wondering whether they're safe, the Food and Drug Administration does not recommend discontinuing use of products that contain BPA, parents may be able to save the expense of replacing their bottles,

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)** recently completed a review of the scientific literature for BPA and determined a maximum daily safe limit for BPA. They concluded that the estimated total daily intake of BPA by a bottle-fed baby would be less than 10% of the safe level for babies, when the bottles were cleaned using normal domestic conditions, and about 20% of the safe limit, when the bottles were cleaned under exaggerated conditions including the use of boiling water or strong solvents. In adults, the estimated daily intake from canned foods and beverages would be about 5% of the safe limit, also a draft review by the US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) determined that intakes of Bisphenol-A for the most vulnerable segments of the population were well within the safe level.

** European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) :

In its risk assessment on BPA published in January 2007, EFSA set a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 0.05 milligram / kg body weight (bw) for this substance. The TDI is an estimate of the amount of a substance, expressed on a body weight basis that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable risk. EFSA found that intakes of infants and children were well below the TDI.
In an opinion published in July 2008, EFSA addressed the difference between infants and adults in clearing BPA from the body. Results confirmed that exposure to BPA was well below the TDI of 0,05 mg / kg bw for both adults and newborns. Indeed, after exposure to BPA the human body rapidly metabolises and eliminates the substance. Newborns can similarly clear BPA at levels far in excess of the TDI. In its evaluation, EFSA took into account both the previous and the most recent information and data available.

Safety of Bisphenol-A Polycarbonate Bottles:

Extensive safety data on BPA show that polycarbonate plastic can be used safely in consumer products, the use of polycarbonate plastic in food-contact applications continues to be recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission Scientific Committee on Food, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and other regulatory authorities worldwide.
Bisphenol-A (BPA) are used in a wide variety of products, many of which help to improve the health and safety of consumers, for example, epoxy resins are used to coat the interior surface of most food and beverage cans. These resins provide a major public health benefit by protecting food from contamination by corroded metal and bacteria.
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is one of the most extensively tested materials in use today, the weight of scientific evidence clearly supports the safety of BPA and provides strong reassurance that there is no known risk to human health, current uses of BPA pose no known risk to human health, including children and infants. Numerous studies have also examined the potential for BPA to migrate from polycarbonate plastic containers, including baby bottles, into a food or beverage. These data confirm that the levels of migration are very low and well within established safety levels, for example, the Dutch national Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority recently published a study on the migration of BPA from a wide range of new and used polycarbonate baby bottles. The results for new bottles showed no migration from any bottle with a detection limit of less than 4 parts per billion. The same testing on bottles collected from households where they were used for up to three years showed no detectable migration from most of the bottles, and only a trace level of migration (3-5 parts per billion) in a few of the bottles, these levels are far below the safe limits established by the Dutch and European Union regulatory authorities, and the findings are consistent with many other studies that have been published around the world, including studies conducted by government researchers at the FDA and in the United Kingdom.
Polycarbonate plastic can become cloudy from normal wear-and-tear on the surface, there is no health-based reason to stop using a bottle that becomes cloudy. Of course, if a bottle is cracked or is no longer performing its desired function, it should be replaced.
Sports bottles and Reusable food containers, researchers from government agencies, academia, and industry worldwide have studied the potential for bisphenol A (BPA) to migrate from polycarbonate products into foods and beverages, these studies consistently show that the potential migration of BPA into food is extremely low, generally less than 5 parts per billion under conditions typical for uses of polycarbonate products. At this level, a consumer would have to ingest more than 1,300 pounds of food and beverages in contact with polycarbonate every day for an entire lifetime to exceed the safe level of BPA set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Consequently, human exposure to BPA from polycarbonate plastics is minimal and poses no known risk to human health.
An extensive body of human exposure research, including biomonitoring studies, has been conducted worldwide. Studies consistently indicate that human daily intake of BPA is extremely low and typically in the range of 1-2 micrograms per day or 20-30 nano-grams / kg-body weight/day. These levels are about 1,000,000 times below levels where there were no adverse effects in multi-generational animal studies. Similarly, these levels are about 400-2,000 times below lifetime daily intake levels set by government bodies in the United States and Europe that are expected to be without adverse effect. Comparisons indicate a substantial margin of safety between actual and safe levels of exposure.
Government agencies, academia and industry have examined the typical ways consumers use polycarbonate products, including microwaving, washing in a dishwasher, sterilizing, and storage at a variety of temperatures, these studies have found that any amount of BPA consumers may encounter is far below the safe levels established by government bodies.
In addition, it is notable that actual human exposure levels are well below the low doses claimed to cause endocrine effects in some animal studies, the low doses tested in animal studies are almost all at the level of 1,000 nanograms / kg-body weight / day or higher, compared to typical human exposure levels of 20-30 nanograms / kg-body weight / day.

Safely use of Baby Feed Polycarbonate Bottles:

Minimizing child’s exposure to bisphenol-A from Baby Feed Polycarbonate Bottles

Use glass, or polypropylene bottles (code #5 plastic) instead of polycarbonate (code #7 plastic) bottles.
If continue to use polycarbonate bottles, do not use harsh detergents or put bottles in the dishwasher, these factors help to degrade the plastic and break-down the bonds to release bisphenol-A, clean polycarbonate bottles with warm soapy water and a sponge.
Do not heat polycarbonate containers in the microwave, do not boil them, do not fill baby feed polycarbonate bottles with hot baby foods / drinks, instead, use glass or ceramic containers to heat baby food & drink, pour into the bottles after the temperature lower to warm enough for baby feeding.
Do not use infant formula in cans that use bisphenol-A as an epoxy liner.
Cut back on canned foods and beverages to reduce your family’s exposure to bisphenol-A contamination from the inside lining of cans, avoid canned foods that are highly acidic (eg. tomato sauce) or fatty (eg. fish in oil), as bisphenol-A reacts to acids and lipids

Bisphenol-A (BPA) free Baby Feed Plastic Bottles:

Polyethersulphone (PES) Baby Feed Bottles:

Polysulphone

http://www.newbornfree.com/pics/bornfree/index_bottles.htm

http://www.greentogrow.com/BPAFreeBabyBottles.aspx

Polypropylene (PP) Baby Feed Bottles:

http://www.evenflo.com/product.aspx?id=223

http://www.mambaby.com/

Stainless Steel Baby Feed Bottles:

http://www.kleankanteen.com/

Also Read:

Safely use of Plastic Food Packaging
PET / PETE Bottle, its advantages, and its Health issues