What do you think of the latest news that plastic baby feeding bottles are deadly killers?

Question

maybe it is old news and i am as usual late receiving it :(

anyway, they say now that the plastic in most if not all baby bottles contains BPA, a bad chemical that causes just about anything and everything bad u can think of... i hear people are switching to glass... did u switch already?

Answer 1

"Deadly killers" is certainly an overstatement, but it's certainly a concern. Now I'm reading that infant formula containers are lined with the same type of plastic.

Since my kids primarily nurse straight from the tap, I'm not overly concerned.

Answer 2

it's been mentioned on the news a couple of times, i first heard about it about 3 months ago. they do emphasis that there is still not enough research to know whether or not it has an effect on your baby. if you are concerned about it you should try using disposable liners, there are also plastic bottles out there that do not contain the chemical, called born free, a little more expensive that the average bottle and of course you can try the glass bottle route.

as for them being deadly killers??? i think that's a bit of an exaggeration, no one knows yet what if any effects BPA has on a baby.

Answer 3

Ive heard of this, but I also heard that it depends on how old the plastic bottle is. So if the bottle is all scratched up or the plastic looks cloudy throw it away. I probably won't switch to glass, you can now find plastic bottles that don't have that chemical in it, and I imagine they will soon become easier to find and cheaper.
PS. EVERYTHING causes something, you have to take it all with a grain of salt.

Answer 4

I had discussed this in a focus group about 2 years ago. They were looking for ways to let the public know about it gently and needed our opinions to do so. I walked through the John Hopkins University hallway where I saw a posting of the dangers plastics casused especially those like in re used water bottles, microwable plastics and such. You should use certain plastic ONLY ONCE and dispose. resuing it degrades the material exposing the dangerous chemicals into your system. But women are being *****-es about natures true form of feeding a baby by breast feeding because people feel offended by it. But dont worry about it...we have used plastics and consumed enough chemicals to make us all retarded up to the end of human life. Its a big population and with it, methods need to come forth for our daily living. No use getting all worried about it now.

Answer 5

Yes, I did switch, but not to glass, I switched to the BornFree bottles, they are BPA free.

And the chemical is not just released by the microwave, it is released from excessive washing and heating (i.e. bottle warmer). The chemical has been known to cause things such as ADD, behavioral problems, early onset of puberty and many more things. And isn't it true kids today have more attention and behavioral problems then children of 20 or more years ago? Maybe, just maybe it is caused by this BPA chemical? It is something to think about! And really, is it something you want to chance? If you could potentially keep your child from having problems, wouldn't you do it?

Answer 6

How many people do you know who have had babies die or sickened by BPA (Bisphenol A)? I'm willing to bet "none".

Despite the media's problem-of-the-week, the jury is still out on the effects of BPA in short-term use (although BPA is pervasive in our daily use (i.e., not just in baby bottles), no one can say for sure whether a cancer or similar malady's victim is due to it; yes, animals exposed to massive doses of it get cancer and what-not, but, so what? Expose any land-based animal to excessive water, and it'll drown! Knee-jerk quick! Ban all water!!! Remember the toothpaste with saccharin scare a few years ago? Guess what? You'd have to consume nearly 1,000 tubes a DAY to get a saccharin-related malady, and it would be more than likely that you'd just throw-up after the second or third tube!).

It has been known for years, that baby bottle nipples (whether rubber or plastic, etc), must be kept clean (not necessarily "sterile") to avoid contamination, yet very few people I know go through the effort of doing so! A baby is more likely to be hurt by milk contamination on the uncleaned bottle nipple than by BPA!

Keep all food utensils and dishes clean - - baby or otherwise - - and you shouldn't have any problems, unless you intend on bottle feeding your child his/her entire life! ;)
Read the third and fourth links, below, about "sterilizing" baby bottles and nipples; they may surprise you!

The respected site's first and second links, below, should assuage any mass media induced fears (not to mention, you, for referring to this as "deadly killers", perhaps in hopes of stirring up more fears, despite the fact that not a single BPA-related death has been reported); make sure to hit the "next page" button near the bottom right of the second link (you'll have to scroll down to see it, but you'll notice it very easily when you read the article!).

Regardless, don't overreact to what you see and hear in the media, and don't use inaccurate hyperbole in your Yahoo Q&A, much less in real life, as it only shows your ignorance or that you are maliciously spreading lies, like those computer virus e-mail spam/hoaxes (of course, by "you" I didn't mean the "asker", who, I'm sure, is *completely* innocent!). ;)

Answer 7

babies have been drinking out of plastic bottles forever, and this world is full of perfectly healthy people. The media will tell you anything to scare you, anything to cause a stir or make a headline. Don't believe everything you hear. I have certainly NEVER heard of a baby dying from being fed through a plastic bottle. It's a bunch of BS.

Answer 8

no one is saying BPA is a killer. however, it is a hormone and is linked to things like breasts in boys and premature periods in girls. there are a lot of plastic and convenience products out there that do not contain BPA.

also, this is not the same plastic bottle anyone used in the 60s. BPA is a more recent addition to plastics to make them look better- hard and clear without scratching, or make them sturdier.

i BF my son, but occasionally he takes a bottle from dad or babysitter. i store all expressed milk in BPA free Medela bottles and heat in those. i feed from Avent wides b/c they are his fave, even though they are not BPA free.

Answer 9

i have heard recently that all plastic bottles with the exception of 2 brands can leak chemicals in the bottle if put in the microwave. i believe AVENT was one brand i cant remember the other.

also in any plastic bottle if any liquid is heated too hot inside the chemicals will be released.

i wish i could find more, but i think the research is still ongoing.

I use the AVENT bottle and dont usually warm the milk, my son is fine with room temp. I hope it is ok.

Answer 10

Frankly, I think it is a crock. My kids (born in the 60's) were raised on plastic bottles. They were cheap and lightweight. If plastic bottles are deadly killers, I don't know how my children have lived to be 40+ in age. And, believe me, if there was something I could have done wrong as a parent, I did it. Didn't have the sense God gave a gnat.

Answer 11

I heard something about it, but isn't the microwave that's causing all the bad chemicals to come out? Thank God I only used the bottles for the first year for my babies, once they turn 1 I threw the bottle out, I hope that sippy cups are not as bad. I guess if you boil water in them then the chemicals will come out. What else are we going to find out? We're all gonna have to go back to basics! like the old days