[Pharmwaste] Philadelphia Inquirer article on BPA in plastic bottles

Thompson.Virginia at epamail.epa.gov Thompson.Virginia at epamail.epa.gov
Tue Apr 29 09:55:33 EDT 2008


Monday's Philadelphia Inquirer had a big article on BPA in plastic
bottles, toys, etc.--a mom of 2 young children is also a professor at
Ursinus College (near Philadelphia) doing research on BPA.  Here is the
link:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/weekly/20080428_Plastic_peril_.html

                                                                         
 Plastic peril?                                                          
 An Ursinus College researcher is convinced that a compound in products  
 from baby bottles to helmets is a hazard to health. And others agree.   
                                                                         
                                                                         
 By Sandy Bauers                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Inquirer Staff Writer                                                   
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Inside her Ursinus College lab, biology professor Rebecca Roberts dons  
 rubber gloves and watches as her students inject spleen samples from    
 mice with a reactive substance.                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 It's part of Roberts' eight years of work on bisphenol A, an ingredient 
 in plastics ranging from reusable food containers to eyeglass lenses to 
 CDs.                                                                    
                                                                         
                                                                         
 It's also part of her life as a mom: Many baby bottles contain BPA.     
                                                                         
                                                                         
 "I wholeheartedly believe there are serious concerns with this          
 compound," she says, thoughtfully fingering a test tube partly filled   
 with the white, powdery substance.                                      
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Others agree. Two weeks ago, a draft report by a program of the         
 National Institutes of Health concurred with the earlier evaluation of  
 an independent scientific panel, concluding there was "some concern"    
 about possible neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and    
 young children exposed to the chemical at current levels.               
                                                                         
                                                                         
 The plastics industry says products containing BPA are safe.            
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Nevertheless, some stores quickly began pulling baby bottles with BPA   
 from their shelves. Manufacturers are working to eliminate the          
 substance. Legislators have proposed bans.                              
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Roberts, in addition to her research, cowrote an essay - "Babies,       
 Bottles and Bisphenol A: The story of a Scientist-Mother" - that PLoS   
 Biology, a journal of the Public Library of Science, published last     
 summer.                                                                 
                                                                         
                                                                         
 A five-minute walk across campus leads to Roberts' backyard, where      
 Siena Johnson, 21/2, puts down her plastic sippy cup and leaps up from  
 a plastic picnic table, exclaiming happily, "My mommy's here!"          
                                                                         
                                                                         
 One-year-old Bristow Johnson is fretful, so in the kitchen, where       
 plastic cups and lids form a colorful pile in the dish drain, Roberts   
 fixes a plastic bottle of formula.                                      
                                                                         
                                                                         
 In the living room, Siena drops to the floor to play with her plastic   
 dolls.                                                                  
                                                                         
                                                                         
 "That's one of the problems," says Roberts. "As a mother, you'd go      
 insane if you tried to take away every single plastic thing from your   
 child. That's all there is."                                            
                                                                         
                                                                         
 For that matter, she doesn't want to take away all plastics. They're    
 washable and bleachable, have no splinters, and the embedded colorant   
 won't chip off.                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 So she prioritizes, focusing on clear, hard plastics (more likely to    
 contain BPA) that will probably end up in her children's mouths.        
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Bristow's bottles are made by Medela, one of the BPA-free brands that   
 have proliferated in just the short time since Siena was an infant.     
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Siena's heart was set on a Dora the Explorer sippy cup. Roberts was     
 relieved to discover it, too, was BPA-free.                             
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Bisphenol A is a chemical building block that makes polycarbonate       
 plastic tough, lightweight, shatter-resistant and clear.                
                                                                         
                                                                         
 It's in helmets, goggles and dental sealants. It's also used in medical 
 devices such as dialyzers and incubators - like the one that Bristow,   
 born prematurely, stayed in for his first 69 days.                      
                                                                         
                                                                         
 And BPA is in the epoxy linings for virtually all canned goods,         
 protecting the food from a metal that might corrode or affect flavor.   
                                                                         
                                                                         
 But BPA can migrate from these substances to humans - mostly through    
 food or drink. It has been found in human blood, urine and breast milk. 
                                                                         
                                                                         
 A 2003-04 study by the U.S. Centers for Discase Control and Prevention  
 found detectable levels of BPA in 93 percent of 2,517 urine samples     
 from people aged 6 or older.                                            
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Concern arose after reproductive and developmental effects were         
 reported in laboratory animals. BPA is considered to be "weakly"        
 estrogenic, so researchers are investigating its effect on infant       
 development and hormone-related diseases like breast and prostate       
 cancer.                                                                 
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Within days of the NIH's recent National Toxicology Program report, the 
 Canadian government, based on its own risk assessment, began moving     
 toward a ban of baby bottles with BPA.                                  
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Wal-Mart, among other stores, has begun pulling baby bottles with BPA   
 from the shelves; a spokesman said the company expects all of its baby  
 bottles to be BPA-free early next year.                                 
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Playtex Infant Care is distributing one million free no-BPA "Playtex    
 Drop-Ins Original Nurser Systems" bottle liners. "While U.S. and        
 worldwide regulatory bodies continue to deem the ingredient safe," the  
 company says, "we are listening to consumer concerns."                  
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Following California, New Jersey legislators have introduced bills      
 banning BPA in toys and child-care products.                            
                                                                         
                                                                         
 The chemical industry has cricticized many of these moves.              
                                                                         
                                                                         
 "Although I'm sure their intention is to do things that are good for    
 their customers, they're not going to improve health or safety of their 
 customers by taking these products off the shelves," says Steven        
 Hentges, executive director of the American Chemistry Council's         
 Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group.                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 "We believe BPA is safe for use, based on many scientific reviews,"     
 says Hentges, who was authorized to speak for manufacturers of BPA.     
                                                                         
                                                                         
 There's also the matter of replacing it. "If we want to not use BPA, we 
 will not have polycarbonate plastics. That becomes a real big           
 challenge," he says. "You will find no alternatives that have been      
 tested so well as bisphenol A."                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Meanwhile, the research continues.                                      
                                                                         
                                                                         
 The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the     
 major funders of BPA studies, has given Roberts a three-year, $150,000  
 grant to study its effect in a new area, the immune system.             
                                                                         
                                                                         
 "So from that standpoint, it's a unique grant that's very valuable,"    
 says Jerrold Heindel, an institute program official. "Her results will  
 be important to help us determine if there should be concerns."         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 In her Collegeville lab, Roberts and her research students are looking  
 at cathepsins - enzymes that act like small scissors, cutting to pieces 
 whatever is brought into a body's infection-fighting white blood cell.  
 Some pieces return to the cell surface and become potential flags for   
 the immune system.                                                      
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Basically, if the cathepsins do their job differently than they are     
 supposed to, the immune response may be faulty.                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 So Roberts and her students have been injecting Cheerios-shaped cereal  
 with BPA and feeding it to mice. Later, they collect and analyze the    
 mice's white blood cells.                                               
                                                                         
                                                                         
 While results are preliminary, she believes she's seeing problems.      
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Roberts is applying for more grants to continue her enzyme work. She    
 also hopes to start an outreach program in the area, educating mothers  
 about BPA and how to avoid it.                                          
                                                                         
                                                                         
 "Do I think more science needs to be done? Always," the biologist says. 
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Adds Roberts the mother: "I have two little kids at home. I want to     
 make sure they're healthy and growing up the best they can."            
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 How to Limit Your Exposure                                              
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Consumers eager to avoid suspect plastics won't find the going easy.    
 Labeling is not always required for all ingredients. But toxicology     
 experts say taking the following steps can lower possible risk.         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 - Ranit Mishori, Washington Post                                        
                                                                         
                                                                         
 For suspect plastics in general                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Avoid placing hot food or liquids in plastic containers. Use glass,     
 ceramic or stainless-steel containers instead. Heating plastics to high 
 temperatures promotes the leaching of chemicals out of containers and   
 into the food or liquid they hold. (Freezing liquids in plastic bottles 
 poses no such risk.)                                                    
                                                                         
                                                                         
 When heating in a microwave, use only cookware labeled "microwave       
 safe." (Remove food from plastic wrap before thawing or heating in a    
 microwave.)                                                             
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Buy products in cardboard cartons instead of plastic containers.        
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Check recycling codes for clues about plastics components you may want  
 to avoid: Recycling code 7 may mean the product contains bisphenol A.   
 Recycling code 3 may indicate DEHA, which belongs to a separate group   
 of chemicals, known as phthalates, that have also raised concerns.      
                                                                         
                                                                         
 For bisphenol A                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Look for "BPA-free" claims on toys, baby bottles and containers.        
 There's been a recent explosion of such products (many priced higher    
 than standard versions).                                                
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Reduce use of canned food. Eat fresh or frozen foods. Bisphenol A has   
 been found in the lining of canned food tins.                           
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Avoid polycarbonate and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastics, both of      
 which contain BPA. Alternatives include polyethylene plastic (also      
 labeled PETE) and containers marked with recycling code 1, 2 (HDPE) and 
 4 (LDPE). Polypropylene (recycling code 5, or PP) is also safe.         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 If you use hard polycarbonate plastics (Nalgene bottles, baby bottles,  
 sippy cups), do not heat or use them for warm or hot liquids.           
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Do not wash polycarbonate plastic containers in the dishwasher with     
 harsh detergents.                                                       
                                                                         
                                                                         
 For phthalates                                                          
                                                                         
                                                                         
 A group of compounds called phthalates has raised concerns similar to   
 those involving BPA.                                                    
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Look for phthalate-free toys or those approved by the European Union    
 (EU).                                                                   
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Plastic wraps generally should not be heated or placed in a microwave   
 oven. Those that are labeled microwave-safe should be placed loosely    
 over containers. Make sure they do not touch the food.                  
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Avoid synthetic fragrance in personal-care products. While the Food and 
 Drug Administration requires the listing of ingredients on cosmetics    
 sold in retail stores, it does not require the listing of individual    
 fragrance ingredients.                                                  
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Check nail polish labels. The FDA requires phthalates be listed unless  
 they are a fragrance ingredient. (Some nail polishes contain them to    
 reduce cracking.)                                                       
                                                                         
                                                                         
 SOURCES: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Institute 
 for Agricultural and Trade Policy; National Geographic Green Guide      
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Links to additional articles, resources, the recent federal report that 
 raised safety concerns, and Rebecca Roberts' essay:                     
 http://go.philly.com/plastics                                           
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Contact staff writer Sandy Bauers at 215-854-5147 or                    
 sbauers at phillynews.com.                                                 
                                                                         


                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         


                                                                         
                                                                         
                                                                         
 Find this article at:                                                   
 http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/weekly/20080428_Plastic_p 
 eril_.html?adString=inq.living/weekly;!category=weekly;&randomOrd=04290 
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Virginia Thompson
Sustainable Healthcare Sector Coordinator
Office of Environmental Innovation (3EA40)
US Environmental Protection Agency Region 3
1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA  19103
Voice:  (215) 814-5755; Fax (215) 814-2783
thompson.virginia at epa.gov



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