Apr 22, 2008 5:40 pm US/Pacific
Chemical Scare Prompts Toys 'R' Us To Pull Bottles
(CBS 5)
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A new report says some of the most popular brands of plastic baby bottles release a potentially harmful chemical into the bottle's contents when heated.
CBS
Toys "R" Us is pulling some plastic baby bottles off it's shelves. All the bottles containing the chemical bisphenol-a will be removed by the end of the year.
As a consumer, it's not easy to know which bottles contain the chemical because it's not found on labels. BPA is used in the protective resin lining of food cans. It helps make polycarbonate plastic lightweight and tough.
In lab animals, it alters cell structure. Canada is in the process of banning baby bottles containing BPA. The U.S. has not issued a ban. But many companies are taking steps to get the products off shelves, the latest being Toys 'R' Us.
Walmart is also removing all bottles with BPA by the end of 2009. And Nalgene, which makes water bottles, will phase out production of BPA containers over the next few months. Experiments on rats linked the chemical to changes in the brain, early puberty, and possible tumors.
So how do you know which bottles are safe? Typically, soft plastic bottles with the number 5 don't contain BPA. Plastics labeled with a 7 and PC for polycarbonate has it. In fact, those with a 7 typically do, but it's impossible to know for sure. There's no test.
Manufacturers say actual human exposure to the chemical is so low, people are not at risk. But opponents believe the toxin leaches into liquids the longer it sits or if it's heated. And babies are especially vulnerable.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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