A new study “Baby's Toxic Bottle: Bisphenol A Leaching from Popular Baby Bottles,” released by environmental health groups in the U.S. and Canada demonstrates the toxic chemical bisphenol A leaches from plastic baby bottles when heated.  The groups are calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of bisphenol A in baby bottles and other food and beverage containers The report was commissioned, written and released by the Work Group for Safe Markets, a coalition of environmental health NGOs.  The report is based on research by the laboratory of Frederick vom Saal, PhD., at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

BPA, a synthetic sex hormone that mimics estrogen, is used to make hard polycarbonate plastic. Ninety-five percent of all baby bottles on the market are made with bisphenol A. The results of the U.S. study show that, when new bottles are heated, those manufactured by Avent, Evenflo, Dr. Brown’s and Disney/First Years leached between 4.7 – 8.3 parts per billion of bisphenol A. Recent research on animals shows that bisphenol A can be harmful by disrupting development at doses below these levels.

Results of the study contribute to a growing body of evidence that calls for immediate protective action to reduce public exposure to bisphenol A, especially for infants and children.