Infant formula, BISPHENOL A: Further hazards of bottle-feeding - Bisphenol A in plastic baby feeding bottles
| Document type: | Report |
| Topic: | Infant formula |
| Author: | IBFAN |
| Date published: | July 2008 |
www.ibfan.org/site2005/Pages/article.php?art_id=555&iui=1
Part of report:
Powdered formulas are not sterile products and can be contaminated by harmful bacteria such as Enterobacter sakazakii which can cause serious illness in infants. These bacteria are resistant to heat, and so, in order to reduce this risk to infant health, the FAO/ WHO Guidelines on safe preparation, storage and handling of powdered infant formula include a vital decontamination step: "Powdered formula should be prepared with water that is no cooler than 70°C (in order to kill Enterobacter sakazakii)". This lethal step means first boiling the water to mix a feed and then cooling it to not less that 70°C before adding the powdered formula: http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/pif2007/en/
Pouring boiling water into some of the plastic feeding bottles on the market causes leaching of Bisphenol A [1], or BPA, a chemical used in polycarbonate plastic bottles to prevent the rigid transparent plastic from shattering. BPA is an endocrine disruptor that can mimic the body´s hormones and can thus interfere with the endocrine or hormonal system. This endocrine system regulates the development of the body´s immune and reproductive systems. Even at very low doses, a number of observations of adverse effects have been made in which endocrine disrupters could play a role, especially when exposure occurs at a time when babies are extremely vulnerable to chemicals. These effects are listed in the European Union Endocrine website.
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