The subject of bisphenol A in baby bottles, and the safety of these products is one of much debate recently. While the fears that are being raised are valid in some cases, in others they’re just overblown.
Bisphenol A was first synthesized in 1891, and at first, few uses were evident for the material. In the early 1900′s, the first polymers were synthesized, and shortly thereafter, the advantages of the material became readily apparent. Wikipedia has a good write-up on the history of bis-A. It imparts an excellent combination of chemical resistance and hardness when used in plastics and related materials. Consumer goods that contain bis-A include: plastic bottles, food packaging, and impact-resistant glass just to name a few. Polymer chemists use it in epoxies, polyesters, and polycarbonates. It has also been compounded into a variety of materials including flame retardants, pesticides, and PVC, just to name a few.
Consumer awareness and concerns about the safety of bis-A are on the rise. Why? Primarily because it is known to be an “estrogen mimetic.” This means that it exhibits behavior similar to estrogen in the human body. There have been a variety of animal studies that confirm this fact at high concentrations. You can see some of that information at OurStolenFuture.Org. These studies give valid cause for concern. The estrogenic properties of bis-A have been known since its inception, and 93% of Americans test positive for trace amounts of bis-A in their urine.
The converse side of this discussion is that, when used in plastics and polymers, the material is “tied up.” In order to impart its advantages, it must be chemically integrated into the polymer. This makes it unavailable for ingestion or elimination into the environment unless (or until) the polymer degrades. This of course is the trick, since all polymers will eventually degrade, so any building block use to make polymers will eventually be released.
Government agencies
The FDA has maintained that the use of bis-A in plastics is safe, but the recent public concerns prompted a review of most recent studies. The results of their review can be found at WebMD here. Their draft of their review maintains that “…the substance is not harmful under the intended conditions of use…”, but “…complete certainty of absolute harmlessness is scientifically impossible to establish…” (This last statement probably applies to just about everything we encounter.) A review of the data by the European Food Safety Authority reached the same conclusion.
What next
The entire debate with government agencies is probably moot. This articlefrom CNN Money’s website details how Wal-Mart, CVS, and Toys R Us have effectively pre-empted the FDA by making the decision to bis-A containing baby bottles from store shelves. They’re certainly making this decision in response to consumer concerns. This will likely begin a cascade effect of reducing bis-A usage across the board. as it will reduce demand and drive up costs for BPA-based materials.
