Background:
There's a lot of buzz right now about how BPA (bisphenol A) may be killing us all. BPA is a common chemical used in making plastics like most water bottles and baby bottles. Previously, any real evidence that BPA could harm us has come from animal testing, but a new study just came out showing a statistical link between humans with high levels of BPA and a higher occurrence of heart disease and diabetes. It would be jumping to conclusions to say that BPA has been "proven to cause heart disease and diabetes", but ...
A link to the Reuters story is here.
(Addendum: I just saw another article where the FDA disputes that there is any danger from BPA. An FDA spokesperson said "A margin of safety exists that is adequate to protect consumers, including infants and children, at the current levels of exposure,” The article also points out many "holes" in the study. Check that out here.)
My thoughts:
I admit that I've been pondering this for a while. When I went to buy a water bottle to use at the gym I got one that said "BPA free". Why not be safe, I figured. But I do still drink bottled water when I buy one at a restaurant out of convenience. But the biggest thing that bugs me about this issue is that my last two babies have been bottle fed out of bottles that are not BPA-free. When they are having children are they going to tell stories about how lucky they are to be alive since their crazy Mom fed them BPA from Day One of their lives? And then their friends will laugh about how clueless we were "back then" just like I do about my Mom not putting us in seat belts.
My questions:
Should I freak out and go on a BPA hunt in my house? Should I throw out probably $100 worth of baby bottles and start fresh next time around? (If you're answer to that last question is just to breast feed...no offense, but I don't want to hear it) Should I become vigilant about this or just live in an ignorance-is-bliss kind of state until there is more proof? What do you think?
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
We think our family is "worth" a million. A million hugs, smiles, years, laughs, thoughts ... a million everything.
Want a better job? Then you need a better resume.
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(220)
-
▼
September
(21)
- Fly me to the moon
- Hooray!
- Crazy, Peaceful Sunday
- Sad to be all alone in the world...
- Hand With Pointer Out
- And now, the news...
- Plastics
- A truly GOOD morning
- Learning Heaps
- New Impulsive Do
- Girl Interrupted
- Super Baby!
- Nursing Necklace
- New Schedule OR Our First Schedule
- Nie Nie Recovery Auction
- Leap of Faith
- Friday Night Traditions
- Lessons Learned:
- Updates on us
- Facebook: I'm a believer
- Labor Day in PA
-
▼
September
(21)
6 comments:
I think you need to learn a LOT more about the study before freaking out. I've learned, especially over the past year or two, that many 'studies' and their 'findings' really aren't what we see reported. If you can access the actual study, see who funding it, and figure out what the actual results were, then you can make a more logical decision. Also, it takes more than one study to prove anything. Obviously if you are buying new things, better safe than sorry (like you said), but I wouldn't go in to full freak out mode just yet!
Miss you!
ignorance is bliss sister! when i hear about things like this my personal reaction is to not to anything otherwise we would all appear old and gray for worrying over every little thing. but i do think you are right that time will tell. so far i think the boys are gonna be ok!
Seriously, it's all such a fiasco. Who knows? I wouldn't hunt down and eliminate every bpa thing in the house, but I might invest in new bottles for a new baby, who's getting ALL their nutrition from a plastic bottle.
Ignorance IS bliss. Just buy the better kind in the future, if that makes you feel any better. I wouldn't even go that far, because I figure the FDA is so strict already.
I haven't read the study or anything but someone clarified to me that for baby bottles it's only really bad if it's boiling water (then the plastic leeches into the water). So don't put scalding water in it and it would be OK.
My baby's bottles have BPA, but I'm not too worried.
Back in the olden days, when I was in college studying biology, my advisor professor was in a state over this very issue. So now it is 40 years later and it is still being debated. Sometimes time doesn't tell very well.
One thing is certain, something we've been doing for the past 60 years is impacting human beings with a low-level, long-term poison that is making people more likely to have diabetes, weight issues, cancer, lowered reproductive capacity, etc. but don't worry. Global warming will kill us all first, unless we have a nuclear winter, meteor impact winter, major volcanic eruption winter, or a global pandemic. So live happy as long as you can, while doing what you can to protect yourself and your babies.
Love y'all.
Post a Comment