It's important for grandparents to have supplies on hand when their grandchildren visit.
But it’s equally important that grandparents remain vigilant about the safety of the products they use.
Case in point: The six major manufacturers of baby bottles in the nation will stop making and marketing hard-plastic baby bottles containing Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical widely used in plastics but increasingly linked to serious health effects.
On March 5, Avent America Inc., Disney First Years, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo Company, Inc., Gerber, and Playtex Products, Inc. announced the decision to stop using BPA at the behest of the state attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, and New Jersey.
Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut state attorney general, in an October 2008 written request, asked the companies to stop using BPA because studies linked the chemical to numerous health problems in infants.
Since then, a grassroots movement against the use of BPA has taken hold in communities across the country. For example, recently, the Chicago City Council adopted a resolution calling for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expedite its review of the use of BPA in consumer products.
The Washington State House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would ban BPA from baby bottles and other food and drink containers for children ages 3 and younger. Canada has already banned the chemical.
In a statement that the State of Connecticut's Attorney General's Office issued March 5, Blumenthal said the voluntary action that prominent producers of baby supplies have taken sends a message to other manufacturers of consumer products that use BPA and [could] lead to broad, legislative bans on the product.
"Voluntary BPA bans from baby bottles are good, but not good enough — and must lead to complete prohibition." Blumenthal said. "BPA in baby products can perilously leach into liquid, threatening pernicious and lasting health damage to infants. ... Growing scientific evidence shows that even small amounts of BPA damage reproductive, neurological, and immune systems. Experiments have linked even low levels of BPA to serious health problems, including prostate and breast cancer, early onset of puberty, obesity, and diabetes."
BPA is widely used in baby bottles and canned foods. In April 2008, the National Toxicology Program said the chemical was harmful. The FDA, In August 2008, said the current levels of BPA in existing products were safe.
Nonetheless, Blumenthal pressed on and the six manufacturers agreed to voluntarily stop using the chemical.
Shannon Jenest, a spokesperson for Avent, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the company’s polycarbonate products have met governmental guidelines, including those set by the FDA. Jenest said Avent made its decision to voluntarily stop making baby bottles with BPA because of the "current confusion" about the use of BPA in infant products, and because the company values its relationship with its customers.
Until all such products are removed from store shelves, grandparents and parents must make sure that BPA is not present in baby bottles and other materials they purchase for infants.
Elsewhere on Grandparents.com, learn what to do in case of one of these 5 medical emergencies. Also, read about your grandbaby's milestones.
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