BACK IN THE LOOP!

Hello all,
January - a month to remember as one that made it impossible for me to find time to keep up on all the latest recalls and important issues related to child care! Hopefully I can get back on track with a posting of all recalls in the past month. I also want to share an email I received from a friend of ours, Jim Barry, retired chemistry teacher and advocate on the benefits of modern technology. I asked Jim to review the lengthy "Official Report on the Toxicity of Bisphenol A" released by the National Toxicology Program (see last blog entry in December 07), which he was generous enough to do (a 400 pg document!), and his welcome response was thus,

"Basically when you put any liquid in a container some of the chemicals in its walls will dissolve into the liquid. What dissolves and how much is obviously your concern. Probably the safest container would be glass. However, having glass around youngsters can also be a potential problem with broken glass containers. Even using metal cups could be a problem if an acidic liquid, such as OJ, are put in them.

I read the summary on BPA. Conclusion: this is a very heavily used chemical. It has a multitude of uses. In addition, I think the studies are inconclusive and incomplete in their analysis of the effects of BPA. Even if you decide not to use containers made from it youngsters will still be exposed to this chemical from many different sources (including coated water pipes). Hence, you have a dilemma in trying to find a different container. If you chose another plastic who is to say it would be a safer one?"
 
At this point I can not recommend any action for you to take. However, if I come across new data I will share it with you."

Thank you for your valuable feedback Jim. Please do let me know if you come across any new data that would impact negatively on the health of young children!