BPA Is Banned In Baby Bottles

It’s fantastic news that a bill was passed in the Senate last week banning BPA, the hormone-disrupting chemical, from baby bottles and sippy cups in sold California. When my daughter was born just over 10 years ago, no one had even heard of bisphenol A! We happily microwaved our plastic baby bottles, never imagining that they could harm our baby’s health.

It was finding out about these dangerous kinds of chemicals in our environment, that prompted me into years of research and the subsequent writing of my first book, Gorgeously Green. I’d always believed that a human being should have the right to clean air, food, and water and that the reality now, is that even in a highly developed Western country, we don’t have access to clean air, food and water!

So back to the now ubiquitous BPA (bisphenol A,) which has been found to be an endocrine disruptor. I believe that so many of the synthetic chemicals in our environment are responsible for the early onset of puberty, birth defects, and a contributing factor to cancer. I highly recommend that all women protect themselves by minimizing their exposure. As far as BPA is concerned, here’s how:

*Avoid plastics that have the #7 in the chasing arrows on the bottom of the container.

*Store your food in glass containers, rather than plastic. I always use glass pyrex containers with BPA-free lids.

*Limit your use of canned foods, as BPA lurks in the linings of cans. Eden Foods is one company who I can guarantee does not use BPA in their cans – they’re a little more expensive,  but as it’s my family’s health I buy them.

*Always buy plastic baby products (bottles, bowls, sippy cups, toys etc,) from a company that eschews the use of BPA and has BPA-free written on their packaging.

*Avoid buying foods that are packaged in plastic wrap – especially meats, fish and cheese.

*Be wary of store receipts, as they have been found to have BPA-residue on them. Either get the cashier to trash it or wash your hands after shopping.