Every so often I notice a pattern in something I am reading and end up on PubMed trying to see if there is any actual decent research on the topic. Some of the time the research has been done and there is no link. Sometimes the research has not been done. Every so often a bunch of research has been done, there is a huge problem, the evidence is overwhelming, there is absolutely no evidence supporting an alternative theory and yet it appears that nothing is being done about it.
Which is why I was rather upset to see the sheer volume of studies showing the maternal BPA exposure at low, background type levels caused problems in mice. Now, generally I also find studies pointing the other way. Studies that say that at these levels the mice were fine. Except that there are no articles saying that at low levels the mice were OK. None. Zero. Nada. Go to PubMed and see for yourself. Every time they run the experiment they get the same result and its not good.
I hate it when that happens.
Let us start with the prestigious peer journal Endocrinology in 2006 – seven years ago
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16690810
Mouse study from 2008
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18949834
And it causes cognitive deficits in the mice
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20169576
I wonder what depressed and anxious mice actually do. I end up imagining them eating ice cream and calling their mouse friends to microanalyze bad mouse dates.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23240141
Of course diabetes, heart disease and inability to reproduce might depress anyone
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21059909
Heard this from your pediatrician? Me neither.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21293273
Here is one of those really upsetting articles, the kind that indicates that the scientific community is basically saying that BPA is just a real problem. And we took it only out of baby bottles.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23994667
So what can you do?
1) Do not drink out of plastic bottles (like water or sports drink bottles) or anything that was in a plastic bottle. Do not drink out of cans. Also do not drink out of lined metal bottles either. That lining is hard plastic. If you want to know if it is lined run your finger on the inside. If its smooth and not super cold, it is probably lined. You can also call the manufacturer. If it has a hard plastic cap its a problem anyway. Believe it or not the humble Thermos Brand bottles are BPA free and they have a spiffy silicone and cloudy plastic straw which protects your child’s drink from touching the hard plastic cap. And they have Yoda on them. Glass bottles are another good choice…but only if they do not have hard plastic tops that touch the drink.
2) Do not consume food in cans especially not pop, tomatoes or anything acid. Those cans are lined to keep the acidic food from tasting like metal.
3) When you must use plastic containers look for squishy and cloudy ones (like milk jugs) as BPA is a clarifying and hardening agent.
4) Avoid all composite fillings, especially for kids. Those “white” fillings are a hard plastic. What makes plastic hard? Yes BPA. So if you wish to avoid BPA, do not have BPA permanently installed inside your child’s head. And while the purpose of the following articles is to show that those fillings are, indeed full of BPA, it is worth noting that none of them saw better outcomes with composites than with amalgam.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22802599
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22972857
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22906860
Unfortunately BPA is everywhere and complete avoidance is probably not possible. That said, small steps go a long way.
Oh and there is one other thing. Somehow the effects of BPA were reversed in the mice who ate soy.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22957036
That however, is only one study and not proven and only in mice. That said, we like organic soy. I’ll probably do that one anyway.
