We here at BabyNews have been following the recent news media furore over Bisphenol-A (BPA) and the effects that it has on humans, and more-over, on the little humans... our babies.

Our editors have been on the lookout for BPA-Free products for a few years more, before it became a buzz-word on the Internet, for completely different reasons. Our history has more to do with Cancer forming cells and Endometriosis and the more we find out about this substance, the more it is becoming clear that this is a product we need to get off the shelves and out of the country.

Unfortunately, during the last few months of trying to find BPA-free products, it has become clear to us that profit ranks above the health and safety of consumers & users, and in this case, defenseless users.

What frustrates me more than anything is that I am certain that most of these companies and manufacturers know of the dangers and risks that the ingredients in their products cause, but they keep on claiming the risk is low, negligible or non-existant, always referring to FDA Safety Standards and European(EU) Safety Standards (which is essentially just based on the US FDA and EPA Regulations and Recommendations). While this is going on, they are working on new products that does not contain Bisphenol-A or is made from Polycarbonate plastics.

Now, this seems very noble of them, and I will grant that I am very happy about that, but the remaining products that still contains these bad chemical substances do not get pulled from the shelves, nor does the companies stop providing them to retailers, because at the end of the day, money and profit seems to be more important than people.

So here are a few facts:

1. Bisphenol-A was originally invented as a chemical in 1891
2. In 1938 scientists discover it's a Artificial Estrogen but a similar product (DES, a Pharmaceutical Hormone) already exist. DES is taken of the market when it's linked to reproductive cancers in girls born from mothers who took DES during pregancy
3. BPA as an artificial estrogen product fails but has found a home in Plastics manufacture as a chemical used to create a hard, clear plastic called polycarbonate.
4. Polycarbonate becomes the plastic of choice for tin-linings & bottled lid linings as well as pure plastic products, ranging from water coolers to bicycle helmets to toys to baby bottles
5. The Toxic Substances Control Act passed in the USA in 1976 does not require Bisphenol-A testing because it's "presumed safe" due to years of use. 62,000 other chemicals go the same route
6. Over 150 research reports from reputable international researchers and research labs have shown that BPA is not safe in the levels that the US Food and Drug Administration claim it is safe.
7. The American FDA bases it's Safety Standard on only two research reports, both sponsored by Industry (in other words: the companies that make money from BPA paid for the research) In both cases the Labs doing the tests were fired due to undisclosed conflicts of interest (their main clients were companies that manufacture BPA), but the reports were kept as the basis for the current Safety Standard, even though one report has 297 errors according to the Environmental Working Group.
8. For close on 20 years the FDA has rejected new research on BPA and the dangers to humans, and especially for young, developing babies and infants
9. Canada has started the legal process to ban all baby products that contains BPA
10. The FDA's own Science Board has recently concluded that the FDA's Risk Assessment is "severely flawed" and voted unanimously for a new risk assessment to be undertaken

What does the studies claim?

Following is a quick overview of some studies (mostly animal based):

1. BPA is an endocrine disruptor
2. BPA seems to cause breast cancer following fetal exposure
3. It's linked to Obesity
4. Neurological defects in Brain function
5. Mood disorders
6. Permanent changes to the genital tract
7. Early Puberty
8. Predisposition to prostate cancer
9. Significant association with Heart Disease and Diabetes (human study)
10. Augmentation of immune responses
11. Inhibits penile erection

Now, Canada has had enough, and although they have made it clear that according to the government organizations, the evidence appears inconclusive, they will not risk their children, so as an interim strategy, all baby products (including containers for infant formula) are banned from sale, importation and even advertising in Canada.

Americans have had enough, and a few Attorney Generals, senators and congressmen have taken on the FDA and EPA over Bisphenol-A, as well as three states urging manufacturers to cease production of products containing BPA. Major Retailers (Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us) feel the brunt of the American Buyers and release statements that they will be phasing out products containing BPA. 30 court cases against US manufacturers of products containing BPA has been filed already and with the demand for Phenol (a raw ingredient of Bisphenol-A) drops, the price for Phenol has hit a 6 year low. A drop of 49%. Recent stats says that 2.5 million kids are born with birth defects, 6 million kids suffer from Asthma, 12 million suffer from developmental disorders (like autism) and Childhood cancer is up 67% since 1950. Many researchers blame uncontrolled chemical use like BPA.

Australians has had enough, and even Israel has had enough.

All over the world, Government Agencies claims this chemical to be safe, the manufacturers claim this chemical to be safe, and companies using this chemical in secondary manufacturer claim this chemical to be safe... Why then does the independent researchers the world over claim this product to be dangerous?

There is a famous quote that says: "...for your answer, just follow the money!"

I am just a concerned parent, with a small blog, telling the story of how my beloved little boy is growing up in this world, I am not a scientist, and I do not run a laboratory and I will definitely not be able to tell you who is right, and who is wrong, but this one thing I know to be true: Greed wins out.

I prefer to err on the side of caution, and with all the major consumers all over the world systematically climbing on the bandwagon, I can only see the biggest bulk of products that has all of a sudden become unsalable get dumped in the smaller markets in an effort to reduce losses and recoup some capital. Which means it's all going to be sold here. I foresee that manufacturers will not withdraw their products that contain BPA from South African shelves, but will rather sell them side by side with BPA-free products.

The net effect will be consumer confusion. If these items of Brand XYZ are all branded as BPA-free, then I will want the same brand for some other items, even though they may not be free of Bisphenol-A. It's a basic sales tactic that is taught in first year business studies.

Now, this whole long explanation to get to the point: We do not want products containing BPA in our homes.

BPA manufacturers won't stop. The Manufacturers of cheap baby products won't stop. Our government will not protect us from this, so the only way is to force the importers and distributors to stop importing the products by NOT BUYING THEM.

If any product you want for yourself or your baby is made of Polycarbonate, DON'T BUY IT. There are other alternatives available!

If you want to buy a plastic item for your baby or infant, and it's not CLEARLY marked as BPA-free... DON'T BUY IT.

If you really need a product and you are not sure, check it in our BPA-Watchlist database, and if it's not there, send us an e-mail, and we will find out for you. And if the product is not BPA-free, use the list to find a suitable alternative.

And if you have a website, help to educate the general public about the dangers of Bisphenol-A by pasting one of our banners or logos on your site.

Lets get South Africa Bisphenol-A Free!

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You  can link these banners either to your own BPA-Free pages or link them to this page.

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