The Safety Mom Chronicles

BPAs - What You Need to Know To Protect Your Baby!

Many parents are aware of the serious threat that Bisphenol-A (BPA) poses for our children.  For parents-to-be, grandparents and anyone else who is not familiar with this chemical, it is found in millions of plastic products to make them shatter resistant, most notably baby bottles, pacifiers, teethers and other plastic baby products.  Many researchers and scientists believe it causes a wide range of health problems, including breast and prostate cancer, infertility, diabetes and brain damage. 

On Friday, the Canadian government announced that it considers BPA dangerous and that it will most likely ban the use of BPAs in baby bottles.  Unfortunately it seems as if once again our government is going to be the last to recognize these dangers.  The FDA points to two studies that deem the chemical safe.  What they do not say is that these studies were funded by The American Plastics Council.

But parent's mounting concern about BPA is finally motivating manufacturers to take action.  Playtex has just announced it will distribute one million free samples of Playtex Drop-Ins Original Nurser Systems, which are free of BPAs.  It also announced that the balance of the product line will be converted to BPA-free material by year end.  Simply fill out the form and, while you're at it, download the chart which lists all of their products and whether they contain BPAs or Phthalates.

While I'm excited that Playtex is taking this step I wonder which other major manufacturers are selling BPA-tainted products.  I don't seem to be alone.  I have received numerous e-mails from parents asking if their particular bottle is safe.  In doing some research on this, I ran across an amazing blog -    Z Recommends which reviews toys and infant products.  In their Third Edition on BPA in Infant Care Products they have provided an exhaustive list of each manufacturer and the products that are BPA free.  You can even send them a text message to find out information on a particular product.  A big thank you for saving moms a tremendous amount of time trying to research all of these products!

Now it's time for moms to take action in protecting our children.  Just as we couldn't rely on the government to protect our children from lead-tainted toys, we cannot rely on them to protect our babies from toxic bottles, sippy cups and other basic items.  Visit Moms Rising.org and sign a petition that will be sent to the five major manufacturers of baby bottles to stop the use of BPAs in our children's products. 

How familiar are you with the issue of BPAs?  Let me know your thoughts on this subject!

Eating Locally - Tastes Good and Feels Good!

This time of year it's always such fun to go apple picking and pumpkin picking.  I'm not a great baker but it's become a ritual to make loaves of apple bread and pumpkin bread and, of course, roasted pumpkin seeds.  It's not just the experience of picking the apples that makes them taste better - locally grown produce that's allowed to ripen naturally does taste better.

Your local produce doesn't have to be curtailed to  apples and pumpkins.  Exploring farmer's markets on Saturday mornings with the kids is an opportunity to get them interested in a variety of fruits and vegetables and, at the same time, reducing the amount of harmful pesticides that are entering their bodies.

It's true that we are what we eat and our bodies are screaming out against the harmful toxins that are being ingested.   Many moms I speak with, who have children with neurological issues, question the role artificial growth hormones, pesticides and other chemicals play in their child's disease.   Unfortunately, the government seems to be deaf to our concerns.  Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the use of the pesticide methyl iodide,  mainly for use in strawberry fields.  Methyl iodide is a new, highly toxic fumigant, a neurotoxin and carcinogen that has been linked to thyroid cancers, neurological damage and miscarriages in lab animals.  On the EPA's site, they state that "In humans, acute (short-term) exposure to methyl iodide by inhalation may depress the central nervous system (CNS), irritate the lungs and skin, and affect the kidneys. "

Farmers markets are a great way to find locally grown produce but certainly not the only way.  Locally owned grocery and natural foods stores and coops are much more likely than supermarkets to stock local foods. The Local Harvest website (www.localharvest.com) provides a comprehensive national directory of farmers’ markets, farm stands and other sources of locally grown food.   So this weekend, take your kids out and let them experience the amazing flavors of locally grown produce.