Out of the Mouths of Babes

By Mary Brune
Web Exclusive

Before the birth of my daughter three years ago, I was pretty sure I had everything I would ever need: Cloth diapers? Check. Sling? Check. Cute little onesies? Check. Those were the easy things, the ones on nearly everyone's list. But what about phthalate-free teething rings? Or baby bottles made without bisphenol A? Back then, they certainly weren't on my radar, let alone my checklist. But in light of recent reports about the dangers of two chemicals widely used in some children's products, if you're expecting or have young children at home, you might want to consider putting them on your list.

There's a general misconception that, because a chemical is used in a product intended for children, it must be safe. Sadly, this isn't the case—at least not in the US. The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, which enables the regulations of chemicals, lists 81,600 chemicals registered for commerce in the US. According to Green Chemistry in California, a 2006 report from the California Policy Research Center, "TSCA does not require chemical producers to generate and disclose information on the health and environmental safety of these chemicals. . . . The result is an enormous lack of information on the toxicity and ecotoxicity of chemicals in commerical circulation."¹

What's the Concern?

Phthalates (pronounced THAY-lates), a class of chemicals used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic soft and flexible, can be found in such products as toys, teething rings, shower curtains, lotions, and cosmetics. Exposure to phthalates has been linked to cancer, infertility, premature breast development in girls,² and genital birth defects in boys.³ Young children can be exposed to phthalates by chewing on plastic toys, or through skin contact with lotions and shampoos that contain them.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that 75 percent of the participants tested had detectible levels of phthalates in their bodies.⁴ This finding has triggered alarm among some scientists because exposure to phthalates—which are known to interfere with the body's own hormones—can result in birth defects and developmental delays in babies born to mothers who were exposed during pregnancy.

Dr. Shanna Swan, professor and associate chair for Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the Center for Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, found that baby boys born to mothers with high levels of phthalates had increased rates of a genital defect that had previously been seen only in lab animals.⁵

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to make hard, clear, polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and other containers. It is also used in dental sealants and in the lining of food and beverage cans. BPA mimics the hormone estrogen, and may interfere with brain-cell development,⁶ as well as with biological processes that rely on estrogen, such as ovulation and reproduction. Studies have shown that BPA leaches out of polycarbonate containers⁷ and metal cans,⁸ and have linked exposure to BPA to cancer, impaired immune function, early puberty, obesity, diabetes, and hyperactivity, among other problems.⁹

The Lowdown on "Low-Dose" Exposures

This year, the advocacy group Environment California released a report titled "Toxic Baby Bottles," which revealed that bisphenol A leached from the five leading brands of baby bottles tested. The test was designed to mimic the stress baby bottles undergo from repeated use and washing, by heating bottles to temperatures consistent with those reached in real-world dishwashers.¹⁰ The results: All five bottles were found to leach BPA at levels shown to cause harm in laboratory animals. To date, more than 150 government-funded studies have shown health effects in animals—at extremely low doses of BPA—sometimes 2,000 times lower than the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) safe levels, according to Frederick vom Saal, endocrinologist at the University of Missouri.¹¹