In January, 2010 the Food and Drug Administration issued an update on BPA, the industrial chemical that can be found in hard plastics and metal based food and beverage cans.
According to the FDA’s website, both the FDA and National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health have concerns about “the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children.”
Dr. Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green, and Feeding Baby Green, says he has been concerned about the effects of BPA on children for years.
He says, if your baby has already been exposed there is no reason for panic.
He goes on to add, whatever health effects BPA causes, we’ve already seen them in the general health of today’s children.
Dr. Greene says “It's not that we're expecting a new epidemic, but that reducing BPA exposure could lead to even healthier children in the future.”
Until further research becomes available the FDA is taking steps to reduce exposure including:
Supporting manufacturer’s efforts to produce BPA-free baby bottles, sippy cups and feeding containers.
Supporting efforts to replace or remove BPA from the linings of food and beverage cans.
Supporting the Health and Human Services recommendations to reduce exposure which include:
1. Breastfeed when possible for at least 12 months, or use iron fortified formula as the safest alternative.
2. Throw out scratched or worn baby bottles and feeding cups.
3. Be careful when heating up breast milk or formula. BPA can transfer to foods and liquids.
4. Check the labels on containers. A good practice is to only use containers marked ‘dishwasher safe’ in the dishwasher, and only use ‘microwave safe’ containers in the microwave. Also throw out any food containers with scratches.
source: abc15
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