BPA is turning your sons gay and giving your daughters cancer!

As a parent, I'm being told I should watch out for BPA in my baby's bottles, pacifiers, teething rings, sippy cups, etc, etc, etc. In fact, some of the more extreme sensational warnings cary the subtext of this post's title.

If you are like me, you have no idea what BPA actually is and what the real concerns are. So I did some research on the web and thought I'd compile a list of BPA facts, links, and BPA Free bottles for quick reference.

What is BPA?
It is a raw material called bisphenol A that is used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics. BPA is classified as an environmental estrogen. This means it can bind with estrogen receptors and has the ability stimulate estrogenic response.

What is the concern?
Recent scientific studies have shown that BPA leaches out of bottles when heated - for example read this study entitled Baby's Toxic Bottle. So if it leaches out of the bottle, that means your baby is ingesting the chemical.

So what could happen if they ingest BPA?
The website mindfully.org has an interesting page citing studies showing varying degrees of response in laboratory animals. Some of the studies I found alarming - BPA speeds sexual development in mice, low doses created superfemale snails, and BPA induced changes in mammary tissue that resemble early stages of breast cancer.

However - the site plasticsinfo refutes the claims saying that over 30 years of research back the industry claims that their bottles are safe.

Color me confused - in fact, the Washington Post has an article addressing the confusion parents are experiencing. So like everything else - it's up to you to make a decision if your plastic bottles are safe for your baby.

Here's a short list of baby bottles containing BPA
1. Avent - lowest leaching of BPA when heated
2. Dr. Brown's - highest leaching of BPA when heated
3. Evenflow
4. Playskool
5. Munchkin

Here's a short list of BPA Free Bottles/Breast Pumping supplies
1. Born Free
2. MAM
3. Adiri
4. Medela
5. Mother's Milkmate

This information was compiled from various sources. I found Z Recommends and Baby Bargains to be the best resources by far.

What's the moral of this? Do your own research- read the source studies and don't just accept major scientific results based off what someone (your neighbor, friend, news anchor) tells you.