E-Weekly
Apr 13th, 2007                                Print this article

Class-action lawsuit filed in California over Bisphenol-A in baby bottles

By Clare Goldsberry

A class-action lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against five leading manufacturers of polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles over the presence of Bisphenol-A (BPA). The five makers are Gerber, Evenflo, Avent, Playtex, and Dr. Brown’s. According to one laboratory report, when the baby bottles are heated, potentially dangerous levels of BPA leak into the contained liquid. The lawsuit cites a link between BPA and conditions such as early puberty and possible autism. While BPA in PC has been found safe in Europe, it is being deemed dangerous in California.

Playtex Products Inc. (Westport, CT) released a statement regarding BPA, which is an ingredient used to make all PC, including those used for infant feeding products. “In spite of the recent media focus on the use of polycarbonates, the weight of scientific evidence clearly ensures the safety of this material for use in food and drink containers. In fact, for nearly 50 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recognized polycarbonate as safe for use in food-contact applications. One of the reasons for this is that polycarbonate can be cleaned with very hot water, does not absorb odors, and over time has been shown to be an extremely safe substitute for glass in the medical and food industries.

“The Playtex Drop-In System is used with liners (Playtex Drop-Ins and Playtex rolled liners) made of plastic materials that do not contain Bisphenol A. VentAire Bottle Systems are made from polycarbonate which complies with all U.S. and European standards and are absolutely safe for use by babies.”

The release noted that BPA levels in PC are deemed safe and have no effects on the reproductive or developmental systems, nor any carcinogenic effects on humans. Studies conducted from all over the world, including scientists from the U.S. National Academy of Science, the U.S. National Toxicology Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the FDA, the European Scientific Committee Commission on Food, The European Food Safety Authority, and the Japanese National Institute of Health Sciences, have cleared PC and BPA.—cgoldsberry@modplas.com

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