They could be. But the real question is how dangerous the typical daily exposure to these chemicals really is to babies and children -- and to us adults, for that matter.
One of the main controversies concerns a chemical called bisphenol A, or BPA, which is used in many plastic bottles, aluminum can linings, and plastic food containers. We’ve known for years that trace amounts of BPA leach into food and that most people have tiny amounts of BPA in their blood and urine.
We know that BPA can be harmful to living creatures. In animal studies, BPA has been linked to premature puberty, breast and prostate cancer, immune deficiencies, and brain abnormalities. But for years, the evidence in humans has been slim and inconclusive.
Consequently, since the 1980s the Food and Drug Administration has maintained that the typical daily exposure to BPA is probably too low to be dangerous to humans. Many doctors have been skeptical about this, but with all the other clear-cut environmental dangers we deal with daily second-hand smoke, lead paint, smog, trans fats, mercury, drivers talking on cell phones -- BPA didn’t seem like the most pressing concern. So it stayed in plastic, and in us.
In 2008, however, BPA started getting more scrutiny and more media attention. Canada banned the use of BPA in all baby bottles, saying that babies, because of their small size, could be at greater risk from even low levels of the chemical. A study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that adults with high levels of BPA in their urine had a high risk of diabetes, heart disease, and liver disease. Then the FDA admitted that the two main studies it had long relied on weren’t really solid enough to alleviate fears about the chemical.
We’ll be hearing more about BPA. Personally, I try to minimize my family’s exposure to plastic food containers in general, and I recommend the same to the parents of my patients. When it comes to a developing fetus, infant, baby, or toddler, reducing exposure to plastics may be especially important, as even minuscule amounts of BPA theoretically could affect their health since their body mass is so low.
From The Smart Parent's Guide: Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, and Accidents by Jennifer Trachtenberg.
