In all the hysteria about Bisphenol-A, it's been hard to find any real facts. Simple things like:
- What's the real danger using our baby bottles?
- What are the effects of washing bottles? In particular, if we already have been washing our bottles in our dishwasher, does washing them by hand in cooler water with softer soap help?
- What are the exact bottles that are the problem?
- What about the lids, the inserts, and all the other plastic things that are used and washed?
1. Real Danger
I spent some time and found a few solid answers. One interesting report is the "Baby's Toxic Bottle". This has a good list of the issues, results and recommendations.
2. Effects of heating and washing
The key determinant of the amount of BPA released is temperature and there is no "residual effect" - Food Addit Contam Mar 2008. This supercedes a study that found also found the amount of BPA is related to temperature but also found a residual effect of repeated exposure. Food addit Contam 2003.
This science supports the recommendation in BTB of
- "If you continue to use polycarbonate bottles, do not use harsh detergents or put bottles in the dishwasher. Instead, clean them with warm soapy water and a sponge. Scouring brushes can scratch the surface of the bottles and increase leaching rates "
- "Avoid heating foods in polycarbonate containers, as bisphenol A tends to leach faster with higher temperatures. Use glass or ceramic containers instead"
3. Exact Bottles
From BTB, -"Use glass, or polypropylene bottles (the #5 plastic) instead of polycarbonate (hard, shiny, clear or tinted plastic, usually with a number 7 or "PC" on the bottom/underside) bottles" -It looks like our playtex bottles were the least of the problems, but not by much.
But.... The Z report on BPA in infant care pointed out a few things differently. They said it was #3 and #6 plastics that were also a problem, and not all #7s are polycarbonate. It looks like all the playtex bottles we have are #5s, but are not listed as being BPA-Free. Maybe that means the bottle is ok but the lid and/or insert are polycarbonate?
4. Other materials
Looks like it's #7 items. But I've also heard that it could be #8 though I couldn't find any evidence. The lids have a number on them, but it's not in the recycling style, so I don't know.
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