Posted on 12/26/2007 6:18:55 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Local moms are playing it cautious when it comes to their babies' bottles.
Retailers throughout southeastern Wisconsin say they have seen a swell of interest in glass and bisphenol A-free baby bottles in the past few weeks. So much so that a store manager at USA Baby in Brookfield said manufacturers have been unable to keep up with his customers' demands.
"We've really seen a surge in the last month," said Tom Blackmore, manager of USA Baby. "It's been hard to keep glass bottles in stock."
A growing body of research indicates that bisphenol A - a chemical used to make the hard, clear plastic called polycarbonate, as well as the epoxy resins used to line aluminum cans - is harmful to laboratory animals.
In a first-of-its-kind newspaper analysis this month, the Journal Sentinel reviewed 258 scientific studies that looked at the effects of bisphenol A on live laboratory animals with spines, and found that an overwhelming majority of those studies indicated the chemical is toxic, even at doses below those considered safe by U.S. regulators.
And two government panels, including one that has come under fire as being biased toward chemical-makers, warned this year that bisphenol A might be dangerous to developing fetuses and children younger than 3.
A check of local stores indicates that moms are heeding the warning, and Blackmore's experience at USA Baby is not isolated.
Switching baby's bottle
Whole Foods recently expanded its aisle display of Born Free baby bottles, which are bisphenol A free, due to heightened demand. Other local purveyors of glass and bisphenol A-free baby bottles, including Babies R Us in Brookfield and Happy Bambino in Madison, have also witnessed a growing market for these bottles.
"Glass bottles are really hard to keep in stock," said Damis Newman, sales representative at Happy Bambino. "I get at least a couple of calls every day asking about glass," or bisphenol A-free bottles.
Carrie Clement, a mother of two in West Allis, said she just recently switched from Avent polycarbonate bottles to a bisphenol A-free plastic bottle.
"It's so unfortunate that I even had to make this choice," she said. "I feel angry by the fact that bisphenol A has been shown to contribute to health issues and yet the companies still make baby bottles with it."
However, not all parents are buying into the concern.
Angelique Fehr of Milwaukee decided not to switch her almost 1-year-old son to a bisphenol A-free bottle. She said she didn't find the evidence against bisphenol A compelling enough to toss her bottle supply and buy new ones.
"After reviewing all the information," she said. "I decided I was not concerned about bisphenol A any more than I am concerned about any other environmental toxin."
But throughout the country, parents are seeking alternatives to polycarbonate bottles.
Many companies are now offering alternatives to their standard lot of polycarbonate bottles, including Gerber, which makes the Clearview bisphenol A-free bottle, and Evenflo, which has a line of glass bottles. Both Born Free and Medela have always made bisphenol A-free bottles.
Michael Greenman, executive director of the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council, the trade group for glass makers, said there has been an increase in sales in recent months. He did not have exact figures.
"Some mothers and families would rather not have the bisphenol A possibility," he said. "There has been a rebirth of that (use of glass bottles) and we're pleased with that, and we think it's quite appropriate." Sales rise with awareness
Jim Thor, vice president of promotions for the Los Angeles-based NurturePure, which sells glass baby bottles online, said his company has seen sale spikes, with the biggest increases in California and Canada, where lawmakers have given the issue a lot of attention.
"Nationwide, we've had an increase in sales of over 500 percent over a six-month period of time," he said, declining to disclose sales figures or the number of bottles sold.
He said from May to August sales increased by 87%; from August to September, 97%; September to October, 163%; and October to November, 271%.
"A lot of parents want to go more toward a glass bottle, but there are still concerns about durability," he said. However, his company plans to release a new glass bottle soon that is wrapped in a silicone shell. It also is looking into bisphenol A-free plastic bottles.
He's confident the increase in sales will continue as more attention is focused on bisphenol A.
"It's surprising the amount of parents who are not yet aware," he said.
The problem is plastic softeners. It's found to affect the sexual orientation of animals—and maybe why a lot of Americans don't have grandchildren...if you get my drift.
It probably is a manufactured problem but everything does taste better coming from a glass. That is why when I use to drink beer, I prefered a bottle over a can. Milk from a glass bottle does taste better than from a plastic jug.
My dog would not drink out of a plastic water bowl we had in the house,but the stainless steel bowl outside he would drink his fill.
Yep! I’ve had a few idiosyncracies myself over the years. Most of mine centered around getting the job done and not obsessing over the small stuff.
Due to rising sugar prices (thanks to lobbying by the American sugar industry to restrict foreign competition), in the late seventies virtually all soda bottlers and candy makers went to fructose as a source for their sweetener. As a result the taste in all the products that transferred from sugar to fructose suffered including Coke. The switch from glass to plastic also hurt. Plastic and fructose. That's why Coke doesn't taste as good as it once did.
Perceptions are funny. In blind taste tests, people strongly preferred the taste of New Coke to "classic" Coke, but people just didn't like what they perceived as messing with an icon.
But other posters are right--switching away from sugar and glass has slightly altered the flavor, but it's probably less noticeable (at all, even?) in blind tests than it is by people who like to complain.
American females are trained from birth to fear life.
Woodmans grocery store in La Crosse, WI carries Coke in glass bottled in Mexico and made with sugar. It tastes just like Coke did 40 years ago. 12oz for $1.29, but worth it, especially since we drink perhaps one a month, each.
I first tasted it right after having my teeth cleaned and could _feel_ the sugar, so it will remain an infrequent, special treat.
Probably available anywhere they carry a good selection of ethnic foods.
yes, my wife buys me an occasional bottle. Plus Coke in Britain still has sugar. I drank a vat of it when I was over there last year.
Good idea...I will be, as well. My two children are also grown, and no grandchildren should be coming for some time (I hope : ).....but they'll be told about this when the time comes....
“So is methanol “
Of course, but methanol is not FDA, USDA, approved for food contact - PE is.
Funny, isn’t it?
Oh okay. But that would be as a packaging material, wouldn’t it? Plus, the bottles in question here, aren’t made of PE by itself. PE is translucent and soft. The other kind of polymer that’s brittle and transparent, is what’s mentioned in the article, IIRC.
“PE is translucent and soft. The other kind of polymer that’s brittle and transparent,”
Polycarbonate is mentioned - otherwise kind of known as plexiglas . Great for windows but no need to use it for food contact.
PE in its natural form is milk bottle plastic and is very safe.
HA...that 2nd article didn’t exude much positive in plastics.....
There have been studies out for a while on this plastic and many baby bottle manufactures starting quietly pulling the bottles off the shelves.
There also is a vary big concern about compounds in plastic that become estrogen like when exposed to heat. ,p> http://www.ecocycle.org/TimesFall2002/studentstudies.cfm
I have worked with plastics for over 10 years. My advice:
DO NOT COOK IN IT!!! Oven or Micro.
Do NOT expose food contained in it to heat.
Why take the chance?
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