NYT editorial: That Plastic Baby Bottle (on the dangers of BPA)

Editorial

That Plastic Baby Bottle

Published: September 6, 2008

What do you do when one arm of the government says everything is O.K. and another tells you to watch out? That is what is happening with bisphenol-A — a chemical used in many plastics and epoxy resins now found in baby bottles and liners for canned goods. The answer is a truism in every family rulebook — when in doubt, especially when it comes to children, err on the side of caution. That means it is a good idea to keep the young away from bisphenol-A, or BPA.

The Food and Drug Administration said last month that the small amounts of BPA that leach out of containers and into food or milk are not dangerous. Then this week, the National Toxicology Program, the federal agency for toxicological research, reported that their research shows “some concern” about the effects of BPA on the brain development and behavior of fetuses and young children.

A new study by the Yale School of Medicine is cause for even more concern. In tests on primates, researchers found that BPA “causes the loss of connections between brain cells” that could cause memory or learning problems and depression.

John Bucher, the associate director of the toxicology program, said there is still considerable uncertainty about whether the changes seen in animal studies are causing the same problems in humans. “But we have concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed.”

more

Air Pollution Harmful to Babies, Fetuses, Studies Say
Smog is linked to stillbirths, infant deaths and low birth weight

More than a dozen studies in the United States, Brazil, Europe, Mexico, South Korea and Taiwan have linked smog to low birth weight, premature births, stillbirths and infant deaths.

SNIP

A study by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Basel in Switzerland concluded that as many as 11% of infant deaths in the United States--about 3,000 per year--may be a result of microscopic particles in the air.

The study, which has yet to be published, expands on earlier research by the EPA and Centers for Disease Control that looked at 4 million infants in 86 metropolitan areas and compared the incidence of mortality with fluctuating rates of particulate pollution.

That study concluded that as particulate matter increased in the air, the infant mortality rate rose by 10% to 40%.

Common Chemicals Pose Danger for Fetuses, Scientists Warn
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/25/1445/

Convening in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic, toxicologists, pediatricians, epidemiologists and other experts warned that when fetuses and newborns encounter various toxic substances, growth of critical organs and functions can be skewed. In a process called "fetal programming," the children then are susceptible to diseases later in life - and perhaps could even pass on those altered traits to their children and grandchildren.

snip

The scientists are particularly concerned that the newest animal research suggests that chemicals can alter gene expression - turning on or off genes that predispose people to disease. Although the DNA itself would not be altered, such genetic misfires in the womb may be permanent, and all subsequent generations could be at greater risk of diseases too.

snip

For centuries, the basic rule of toxicology has been "the dose makes the poison." Now, the scientists say "the timing makes the poison" - in other words, when a toxic exposure occurs is as important as the amount people are exposed to.

snip

Among the risky chemicals they named are bisphenol A, found in polycarbonate plastic food and water containers; the pesticides atrazine, vinclozolin and DDT; lead; mercury; phthalates used in some cosmetics and soft plastics; brominated flame retardants; arsenic, which contaminates some water supplies; and PCBs, banned but ubiquitous, particularly in fish.