Breastfeeding Moms in Portland Concerned about Plastic Baby Bottles

 
(ARA) – Breastfeeding mothers may think they don’t need to worry about health concerns linked to plastic baby bottles. But even breastfed newborns may come into contact with plastic containing bisphenol-A (BPA) if their mothers use a breast pump, feeding bottles or storage containers made with the chemical. Fortunately there are many retailers in Portland offering BPA free products.

“I want to be sure when I pump so my husband can feed my daughter that my breast milk is safe,” says Shari O’Neill, a suburban Chicago mother of two children younger than 2. “I may be breastfeeding now, but eventually my daughter will drink from a bottle and a sippy cup. How can the FDA say this chemical is safe when the National Institutes of Health says there is reason to be concerned?”

BPA is a chemical used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastic – the material used to make many baby bottles, sippy cups and other plastic water bottles. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said that BPA used in feeding products is safe for humans.

The National Toxicology Program, however, has said they can’t rule out the possibility of adverse health effects. “There remains considerable uncertainty whether the changes seen in the animal studies are directly applicable to humans, and whether they would result in clear adverse health effects,” the organization said in a statement. “But we have concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed.”

“I am not taking any chances with my children,” O’Neill says. “I am going to err on the side of caution and choose only BPA-free products for my children, and that includes my breast pump and other breastfeeding supplies.”

Fortunately, it’s not difficult to determine if a plastic item may contain BPA. Check the recycling code generally located on the bottom of the product. If the bottle is stamped with recycling codes one through six, it does not contain polycarbonate. If you see recycling code seven, the product is made of a combination of different plastics and may contain polycarbonate. Check with the product manufacturer to be sure.

While lawmakers in areas across the country are pushing state and federal legislation to ban BPA in child-feeding products, consumers are already demanding BPA-free products from retailers and manufacturers.

“We’ve seen a significant increase in demand for our BPA-free feeding products, including our breast pumps,” says Carolin Archibald, vice president of Medela’s breastfeeding division. “We decided years ago to remain BPA-free. When your business is based on feeding babies safety should always be your primary concern. That is why all our breast milk bottles, storage containers and pump parts that touch breast milk have always been and will always be BPA-free.”

Breastfed babies could come in contact with plastic containing BPA if their mothers use a breast pump that includes parts made with polycarbonate plastic, Archibald says. When a mother pumps, the breast milk actually flows through several plastic components before it is collected in a bottle or storage container. Public health studies show that more than 70 percent of mothers begin breastfeeding in the hospital and of those, 93 percent purchase a breast pump. “Unfortunately, not all breast pump kits currently on the market are BPA-free,” Archibald says.

Parents who want to learn more about health concerns related to BPA can visit the National Institutes of Health Web site at www.ntp.niehs.nih.gov. For more information on BPA-free feeding products for baby, parents can go to www.medelabpafree.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent