Monday, April 28, 2008

Sign up and speak out againt the use of BPA!

I’m not the most environmentally-friendly mom out there. Sure, I use cloth-diapers. But I’ll admit my major motivator is the cost savings.
I'm cheap.
And I might make my own baby food, but the reduced waste I am producing is again a benefit to the smaller hit to the check book when grocery shopping.
But when it comes to toxic-baby products, like the recently reported Bisphenol-A dangers in our children’s bottles and other items, I’m all for spending more; More money on BPA free products, and more time on doing my part to put an end to the use of this unnecessary and unhealthy plastic additive.

So what is it?
BPA is short for Bisphenol-A, which is one component of a chemical compound used in Polycarbonate plastic and to line the inside of food containers like the inside of cartons of milk or the inside of canned goods.
Or sippy cups, bottles, and other baby products.
Breastfeeding or not, this is an issue of great concern. Many breastfeeding mothers rely on bottles to dispense pumped milk while they work, and what mother has not felt a little thrill when her child learned to handle a sippy cup on their own?
The dangers of BPA come when its properties bond with the foods placed inside plastics made with the environmental additive. According to Moms Rising, more than 130 studies have shown that even low levels of BPA have been linked to early puberty, breast and prostate cancer, obesity, brain damage, and more.
Very recently, The Los Angeles Times reported that the U.S.-based National Institute of Health concluded that there is “some concern” regarding harm to babies, fetuses, and young children from BPA because it has been shown to harm animals at the low levels detected in nearly all human bodies.
And even more telling is the Canadian government’s recent declaration of BPA as “dangerous” and following announcement banning the use of BPA in baby products.

Call to action
Thank you to my friend, Molly, for emailing me this information from Moms Rising. It is a petition asking concerned parents to mobilize for major action by calling on all CEO’s of leading manufacturers of baby bottles to stop using BPA in our baby bottles and child care products.
By signing this petition, CEOs at Avent, Disney/first Years, Dr. Brown’s, Evenflo, Gerber, and Playtex, in collaboration with Center for Health, Environment, & Justice (and other organizations) will be made aware that this is an issue that has moved beyond the headlines and into our daily consciousness.
We have to show them that this is not an issue we are letting go.
It’s hard enough making healthy decisions regarding what we eat, how we stay active, and how to pass these good decision making patterns down to our children. We want healthy products, free of toxins that further complicate this issue and affect our and our children’s bodies.
I just signed. Will you?

4 comments:

Molly said...

I've signed, I've sent it on to all my mommy friends...get the word out! Send it on! Thanks Pauline!

Molly said...

Here are some links for more info!

*Don't forget to click below if you haven't signed yet:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1768/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1177

Thanks for your work on behalf of all children.

- Donna, Rachel, Kristin, Joan, Anita, and the MomsRising Team

P.S. MomsRising Member owned company, Adiri http://www.adiri.com/index.asp is donating their BPA-Free baby bottles to selected organizations that serve low income women. If you have suggestions of organizations that may need these donations, please contact Sarah at sle@adiri.com.

P.S.S. For a list of BPA free products, see http://safemama.com/2007/11/22/bpa-free-bottle-and-sippy-cup-cheat-sheet/


[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/18/ST2008041803545.html

[2] http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-na-plastic16apr16,1,498138.story

[3] http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/stop-toxic-toys/bisphenol-a-overview

[4] http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/reports/environmental-health/environmental-health-reports/toxic-baby-bottles, http://www.chej.org/bpa-e-s.htm

sara said...

My mom actually told me about this a couple of days ago as well. Turns out some of the baby food I freeze and put in the dog's Kong is from containers with that. Yikes..and to make matters worse even though we don't have all the stuff you have yet, when I looked at these cool collapsable space saving food storage containers, they all had it in there too. A pack of 3 was like $20, Ughh. What a waste of money (plus I have like 6 more in the basement). Those went in the trash. Thanks for such an informative post!

Pauline said...

It is hard, Sara! So much to throw away, and times are tough enough as it is! I'm slowly trying to phase BPA out of our house, and that means checking a little bit everyday and buying replacements in shifts so it is affordable to us.
First things first is what Buttercup needs. So today, I am off to replace her bottles, sippy cups, and food containers.
So much for the baby shower.