Baby Formula Bottles Often Toxic
By MedHeadlines • Apr 16th, 2008 • Category: Children's Health, Medical Research, Poisoning, PreventionThe chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), widely used to make plastic packaging products, has just been declared toxic enough to be linked to a host of severe developmental and reproductive disorders common all across the United States. Breast and prostate cancers and premature puberty are some of the disorders associated with exposure to BPA.
On April 15, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) reversed the opinion reached by an earlier panel that declared BPA a safe element for plastic packaging, even when it’s used in packaging foods and beverages. At the time of that ruling, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and other like-minded organizations charged deliberate misrepresentation by industry contractors trying to hijack BPA’s evaluation process.
A second inquiry, coming from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, was instrumental in getting the reevaluation NTP announced today. The government committee inquiry led to the firing of the industry contractor, Sciences International, that conducted the first evaluation, which was overturned today.
Several months ago, members of EWG contacted officials at every major infant formula manufacturing company and learned that all of them use BPA as a lining for the metal parts of all containers that package liquid and powdered infant formulas.
The EWG research revealed the likelihood that 1 of every 16 infants is fed enough liquid formula to expose the baby to toxic levels of BPA, levels that exceed those found to be toxic using the most precise laboratory standards. The most vulnerable babies, the smallest and the hungriest, risk exposure to BPA at levels that are likely to harm the child.
Dr. Anila Jacob, senior scientist for EWG, says today’s decision by NTP corrects the scientific record as reflected in a significant body of evidence pointing to the association between exposure to BPA in doses akin to everyday human exposure and serious medical conditions such as early puberty, prostate cancer, and breast cancer.
EWG, headquartered in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit research organization devoted to protecting the environment and human health by using the power of information.
If all the big formula manufacturers use this BPA thing, how can we avoid getting our children get poisoned? should we buy milk cows and prepare our own milk ourselves? I wonder if there is a list of baby formula manufacturers that doesn’t use this. If so, please publish that list to everybody.
Your baby was meant to drink breast milk not baby formula and not cow’s milk.
“Your baby was meant to drink breast milk not baby formula and not cow’s milk.”
Not every mother is able to breast feed Jessica..
The plastics industry has used television and magazine ads for years trying to convince us of need for plastic. I can only wonder how the plastic industry has known of the potential harm
Jessica, not all people CAN breast feed, thanks for the constructive answer. Are you volunteering your breast milk? Maybe there should be “breast milk centers” like they have plasma centers…and they should purify and pasteurize human milk, add all kinds of preservatives, then store it in BPA laden plastic containers, and sell it in the dairy case next to cow’s milk…
Plastic industries dont care.Its all about the money
The overwhelming majority of women COULD breastfeed, if they had proper instruction, support, and no interference from doctors and nurses giving babies formula and pacifiers in the hospital. The same companies who manufacture and sell toxic formula are spending millions of dollars every year making sure that women who could have breastfed somehow end up “not being able to”.
How about pacifiers, does it also contain BPA, I have breastfed my two children as much as I was able too. Who should be trust? The doctors who are paid to promote pharmaceutical products? going organic is not enough. God be with us these days.
jessica April 16th, 2008 7:33:
Your baby was meant to drink breast milk not baby formula and not cow’s milk.
******
And some people can’t!! Get a life. I turned out fine, then again my mom used glass bottle since it was the early 70’s.
Products containing bisphenol is the topic of concern. Not whether a woman breastfeeds or not, or who consumes cow’s milk.
Should we be concerned about 500 ml water bottles? blue plastic bottles for water coolers? plastic sport bottles? Rubbermaid reusable drink boxes? Playtex baby bottle drop-in liners? plastic lining food cans?
I hope the Government will provide us information as to which products will be pulled off the shelves, which to avoid, and what we are to do in the future.
Milk and dairy products are downright unhealthy! We’va all been duped by propaganda advertising from the meat and dairy industries. But fortunately, doctors and medical experts are finally coming out with the truth.
Dr. Frank Oski, former director of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University said, “There is no reason to drink cow’s milk at any time in your life. It was designed for calves, it was not designed for humans, and we should all stop drinking it today, this afternoon.”
Dr. Spock agreed, saying, “[T]here was a time when cow’s milk was considered very desirable. But research, along with clinical experience, has forced doctors and nutritionists to rethink this recommendation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that western nations that consume a lot of meat/dairy have the highest levels of osteoporosis, which is caused by eating a lot of animal protein…fracture risk has
recently been shown to be a function of protein intake in North American women.” Here’s the UN report:
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241546123_chap4.pdf
Actually, there are breast milk banks just like blood or plasma banks. Some babies are allergic to cow’s milk and therefore can’t thrive on anything other than breastmilk.
BTW - virtually all women can breastfeed or use a breast pump and glass bottles if necessary. It is the medical profession that talks us into the easy way out. I struggled with my first two kids and gave up breastfeeding.
With my third, my friend who breastfed her 3 kids talked me into hanging in there past the first 3 months. After those months it became natural and much easier. I came to the conclusion that Americans just give up too easy. Since then I’ve talked to many women I worked with and convinced quite a few of them to hang in there with the breastfeeding. You CAN do it if you have the support network!
Jessica: I agree with your statement. To many people don’t even try to breast feed. The same thing can be said for cloth diapers. Yes, there are some people that can’t breast feed, but what is the exact numbers percentage wise. I also agree with Irina. I know of several people that were willing to donate their milk if we had a problem. So in some cases that is a vaiable option.
Kelly,
Since when has the government ever considered consumers over industry? Industry and government are inj bed together. This unhealthy union allows abuses across the board. The USDA looks aside as meat contaminations and animal abuse is widespread, the FDA looks aside as the Vioxx’es and Vitorins are marketed to innocent millions, and they look aside when the banks, mortgage companies rip off millions of homeowners. There is no reason to believe that the government is going to do anything that would impact the bottom lines of the chemical companies that produce and market the plastics that permeate our food.
Individuals must study all of these issues themselves and make choices based on independent research and not depend on hearing the truth from the government that supports industry over consumers, and we must be careful not to fall for the advertising hype.
My wife and I had twins that were premature. Her breasts could not produce enough milk for them to gain weight so we were forced to switch to formula after two weeks. Anyone who writes anything again on this website about everyone being able to breast feed can kiss my ass! Tell that to my twins who were hungry in the middle of the night when they were in the NICU.
Kelly April 16th, 2008 8:23:
Should we be concerned about 500 ml water bottles? blue plastic bottles for water coolers? plastic sport bottles? Rubbermaid reusable drink boxes? Playtex baby bottle drop-in liners? plastic lining food cans?
Yes, you should. I doubt that the government will be much help, you’ve got to figure out what’s safe to use utilizing other resources. I try to avoid all plastic, but it’s hard.
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321
There are some BPA free (born free) and phtalate free (think baby) baby bottles. Or use glass bottles. Nipples and pacis are ususally silicone based. Teether are another issue….
Rob: Please direct me to the post where someone said everyone could breastfeed?
My twins needed formula as well…their mother could only get about 6-9 oz. a day…not even enough for one.
[...] problem you have, whatever it is, your problem X, I guess its because your mother fed you with a baby bottle full of toxins. Whatever else you don’t know won’t bother you today. This entry was posted on [...]
Some of the comments posted are so snobbish. We do not live in a culture that has any support for breastfeeding. I do not think any changes of that are likely in the near future. If you have to work, or omg want to work outside the home, breast feeding is often not an easy option.
Back in the stone age if a woman couldn’t breastfeed they would hire a wet nurse and familly members were helpful to teach the breastfeeding. I can be very frustrating at first and many hospitals do nothing to help. I’m hoping the industries can come up with material that is less dangerous. Neccesity is the often the mother of change.
People
What I wanted to say is that now that we have been exposed with the risk of getting our kids poisoned, what we should do to avoid this? We, parents who give baby formula to our sons and daughters, don’t have a choice since all the manufacturers use the same plastics. It seems the most practical choice is to prepare our baby formula.
There’s BPA in a LOT of stuff you wouldn’t think of either. Basicly anything in a can of any sort has bpa due to the plastic linings of the cans (including beverage cans). Its not just baby formula and baby bottles. YOu really have to be vigilant. Supposedly Plastic # 5 is “safe” - for now. Personally, I’ve gotten rid of most all of my plastic stuff that comes into contact with food and gone with stainless steel, cast iron, and glass instead. Its just safer.
You know I read what Mrs Jessica had to say.
“Your baby was meant to drink breast milk not baby formula and not cow’s milk.”
I was one of the unlucky ones that had a little girl 3 months early. I was not able to produce breast milk because she was so early. I had to give her formula after formula, but all she did was upchuck it. We had to put her on pideasure to help her gain weight. She is now a healthy happy 2 year old.
I feel like this world tries to come up with quick easy things for us to use because we are all so busy with our lives that we dont have the time to care for ourselves like we sould. It doesnt matter what we eat, drink, eat out of, or what we do from day to day. We are all digesting, breathing and living in a pool toxic chemicals.
It is so said that this is what our world has come to. You would think that our government would do something to help, since it involves them too.
[...] Similar News:U.S. News & World Report: Study of Chemical in Plastic Bottles Raises AlarmMedHeadlines: Baby Formula Bottles Often Toxic [...]
I am really bothered by people who think that almost everyone can breastfeed. There are so many complications out there, you would not believe some of the uphill battles that many women fight. Me for example I have a hormone imbalance that prevents me from doing things like getting pregnant and breastfeeding on my own. We worked very hard to get pregnant and did. Then when it came time for me to breastfeed my body resorted back to the hormone imbalance and I was unable to breastfeed. My baby was starving and losing weight by the day. We HAD to use formula. Please research your facts before you come on here and make comments to hurt people’s feelings that have no control over their bodies. Not to mention the people who chose formula. There is nothing wrong with that!!!!
What is wrong is that you people are sitting here telling us how horrible we are for not brestfeeding instead of answering the question…what to the LOVING mothers who only want the best for their babies do now? If someone could be useful with that…I would greatly appreciate it. Because obviously I have no other choice, but to feed my baby from a bottle. Where do you find glass bottles or ones that do not have this BPA? But thanks to all of you who try to make me feel like less of a mother because I could not breastfeed my baby. You are really super in my book!!!!
Here is a link I recently received for BPA free baby bottles
http://safemama.com/2007/11/22/bpa-free-bottle-and-sippy-cup-cheat-sheet/
I haven’t explored the site yet but there might be some helpful info for BPA free formula too.
Good luck!
Statistically, less than 1% of women worldwide are truly physically unable to breastfeed. This is a FACT - I know this because I have been a breastfeeding consultant for over 20 years. How do you think humans survived over the ages without formula??
The reasons many women in the US “cannot” breastfeed is because of:
1) cultural bias against breastfeeding. our culture is obsessed with breasts as sexual objects, not as organs whose major purpose is to feed baby, We are MAMMALS which means FIRST & FOREMOST that we nurse our young, also that we are warm blooded and have hair!
2) the medical community who know virtually nothing about the mechanics of breastfeeding. They get hardly any training on this subject in medical school. Yes it is possible to nurse twins, even triplets but you need someone to help you who knows what they are doing! There are books on the market about nursing multiples. You knew you were having twins before they were born, you should have done your homework, contacted a Certified Lactation Consultant or La Leche League. Grow up already- parenting is a tough job & you need to educate yourself! I have spent virtually the last 20 years cleaning up the messes made by obs, pediatricians and nurses who don’t know what they are doing. Many women have been helped who would otherwise have quit breastfeeding. If they weren’t so busy with baby they should be filing malpractice suits against these incompitents!
3) inappropriate marketing of breastmilk substitutes (formula) Our country, thanks to Pres. Regan, (as great as he was) was one of the only countries to not adopt the World Health Organization’s International Code on the marketing of breastmilk substitutes. Since Regan was a business friendly president, and the US worships the god of Free Enterprise, the Code was not accepted because it would require the restriction of formula marketing, eg no commercials, magazine ads etc. So our country’s bias toward profit won over the health & welfare of our children. Isn’t that a comforting thought?!
4) psychological reasons. Some women are very uncomfortable with their bodies. Breastfeeding is a very intense, intimate experience. If a woman has experienced sexual abuse this may be a factor in her inability to breastfeed. If a woman has these concerns she should consult a professional who can help her resolve these issues before she gives birth. Still, this does not mean she “can’t” physically breastfeed - she WILL produce milk.
There are many more reasons why women “can’t” breastfeed that have nothing to do with a woman’s body to produce milk. Sometimes there’s a problem with the baby that may or may not be resolved. For example VERY rarely, a baby will have an enzyme deficiency & will need to be on special formual. Nevertheless, I know countless women of premies who pumped their milk until baby was healthy enough to nurse. It CAN be done.
For further information check out WHO, La Leche League, Nestle boycott (wait till you see what they do to contribute to the killing of 4000 babies worldwide every day! It’s TRUE! The reason Nestle is targeted is because they are the worst offenders. Wyeth comes in a close 2nd.) & PLEASE don’t say I’m trying to make you feel guilty! YOU are NOT the one to feel guilty - the guilty ones are all of the above. You have not been given adequate information or support or ENPOWERMENT in a bottle feeding culture. You have been duped and should be fighting angry with those who “helped” you. Get mad, get information and confront your health professionals who told you you “couldn’t” breastfeed!!
CARRIE -
The useful information your 2 cents carries (pun intended) is truly eclipsed by your judgmental overtone. I am a massage therapist and have 8 month old twin boys. I did SO much planning and research for my pregnancy, birth and postnatal experience, that my doula PRAISED and THANKED me for teaching her things even SHE didn’t know - she actually wanted me to consider becoming a doula. I had my husband’s support, read more books on twinw/multiples than the average romance-novel junkie goes through in a year, met with Certified Lactation Consultants, followed ALL their advice, ate hearty, organically prepared meals, consumed milk-producing teas and supplements, pumped in-between feedings (WITH meditation) and I STILL had a hard time producing enough milk to nurse EVERY time either, or BOTH were crying to be fed.
Now, I’m not saying there were not situational factors that contributed to my fluctuating milk supply, but I’m SO tired of people - ESPECIALLY women professionally trained in the field, i.e. that SHOULD know better - speaking as if women have this primal gene to breastfeed embedded in us and all we have to do is follow these SIMPLE steps to tap into it. You would service the empowerment of women more by providing compassion, support and resources, rather than the bitter after-taste of frustration, anger, and judgment you displayed above..
TO JOSHUA and ALL MOTHERS and their SUPPORT PEOPLE: There are resources out there. Educate yourself. There are beautifully healthy alternatives to man-made formulas that will give your little one/s the next best thing to the breast that is NOT mad by man. I have been making my own formula with fresh goats milk from a local supplier. With a little research, you’ll see there are suppliers in/around where you live and you may not even know it! The Weston A. Price Foundation is a good place to start. Check out their website and their section on baby formula: http://www.westonaprice.org/children/recipes.html.
Love to you All
AMEN Twin Mama!! Thank you for putting so eloquently what all of us well intentioned, educated, and empowered women feel when we read posts like Carrie’s and Jessica’s. I went to the holitistc earth mother lactation specialist before and after my baby was hopitalized for issues stemming from the nutrtition I was unsuccessful at providing by breastfeeding and I still did not succeed. What a guilt trip we give ourselves when we are unable to breastfeed!!
[...] Baby Formula Bottles Often Toxic MedHeadlines - Chicago,IL,USA The chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), widely used to make plastic packaging products, has just been declared toxic enough to be linked to a host of severe … [...]
To Word Star, and Susanne
Thank you for your feedback
Have a pleasant day!
TwinMama, Yr sarcasm & accusation that I was being judgemental is unfair. I was stating facts & describing a culture that does not truly support breastfeeding. In no way was I pointing the finger at mother’s who try & don’t succeed. U did an admirable job of preparing for yr babies. Nursing twins is never easy, nursing one can be difficult but so is parenting! U entirely missed the points I was making. Professionals with no training, direct marketing of formula, social attitudes abt women’s bodies and more contribute to the low breastfeeding rates in the US. I specifically said that mothers should NOT feel guilty if they are unable to breastfeed. Guess you misssed that part. Giving lip service doesn’t help anyone - it has to be backed up by knowledge. When a mom asks me for breastfeeding help I give her information & support. I offer suggestions, I don’t give advice & I refer her to other professionals who know something, if necessary.
U r right that I am frustrated & angry because nothing has changed in 25 years - I’m still dealing with moms who have been given the same bad advice (like nipple shields), old wives tales etc. If the medical community really believed bf made a diff there would be some improvement over time. Sadly, that has not happened. I am sorry if you misunderstood my comments.