Monday, November 26, 2007

Good Plastic, Bad Plastic?

OK - right now, think of all of the things in your house that are made of plastic that your child (or future child) has put in their mouth, chewed on, eaten from, etc. Pretty much everything right? (Unless you already know where I'm going with this - then maybe you have lightened your plastic load.)

So, a couple of weeks ago I was online and bored (bad combo) and was researching lead-free toys (a whole other topic!) and came upon information about the debate on bisphenol A and phthalates (yeah - I can't say that either) in plastics - especially in baby bottles. These chemicals are used to soften the plastic - to make it more pliable. I had heard of this debate and was aware, but the more I read, the more it seemed like a good idea to switch to a bottle that was free of these chemicals. One big motivator - scientific studies have shown that these chemicals are leeching from the plastics and causing endocrine problems - one being reproductive problems. Now, I'm a bit sensitive to reproductive problems myself, so I decided to buy these bottles from Green to Grow - and, oh they are SO adorable and they are free of bisphenol A and phthalates.

So far, they are great, except that I'm having problems with suction - I have to keep pulling the bottle out of Micah's mouth to reduce the vacuum/suction from the bottle. I used to use Dr. Brown's and never had that problem. (Any advice from moms out there on that?)

Anyway, today there was an interview on Fresh Air (radio show on NPR) with Mark Schapiro, the author of Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power. The one thing that struck me in this interview (besides much discussion on the scientific studies showing the dangers of these chemicals) is that the EU (European Union) has outlawed the use of phthalates, and China (YES CHINA!) has even banned their use in products that will be available to it's own citizens (but not for exports - meaning - not for the products that will end up on our shelves). But in our own country, we continue to manufacture them and are currently debating whether or not they're dangerous.

I'm one to err on the side of caution, so, now I feel like it is really important to limit Micah's plastic toys and basically I would have to throw away just about every toy we own to do that. So, instead I am letting the Gmas & Gpas know that Micah has asked for Lead-Free toys, as well as toys made from natural substances - such as wood or fabric for Christmas. We'll still have some plastic stuff - just not EVERY toy!

I just thought I'd share this because I found it so shocking. It's really hard to be a parent these days- I used to think - "well, we all turned out fine," but these things didn't exist when we were kids. And, you know, I'm not "fine." We had three years of infertility - that's not "fine." Was it caused by plastics? Well, I was diagnosed with endometriosis - and that has been linked to endocrine problems - levels of estrogen, etc. So, who knows... but, like I said, I'm going to start to limit plastics and we'll see where this debate ends up.

*DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A SCIENTIST OR AN EXPERT! If you are interested in any of the information I've presented, I encourage you to do your own research on the subject. And, I'm not claiming to be an expert, and really don't want to get into a debate about plastics. If you are an expert - you can let me know, but in a nice way please. thanks! :)

11 comments:

  1. I've been following your blog since you received your referral. My husband and I are adopting from Vietnam--we have the same CHI social worker. :) This post is such a great one. Would you mind if I put a link to it on my blog?

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  2. thanks for the info! really, we try to watch out for chemicals in things we eat, but but I didn't even think about this stuff! Yikes! I'm going to look at the website where you got your bottles. Good info!

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  3. I heard the same interview on Fresh Air (I'm such an NPR junkie)! I can't believe that the U.S. isn't being a leader on issues like this - it is so disappointing....There is another whole set of pretty terrible (and potentially harmful) chemicals in fire-resistant fabrics used in kids' PJs and furniture...and the U.S. REQUIRES furniture makers to incorporate these fire-resistant chemicals into their products (and some people argue that they may not be that effective at reducing fire danger). Another fun-fact I learned listening to NPR.
    Chanda

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  4. Sorry, I don't have anything profound to say about plastics, but I'm finally catching up on some serious blogging and had to comment on your post a few ago...the Brad and Angelina shot is great! That's too funny!

    I'll try to do better at keeping up with 'ya all. Micah is adorable! Glad your 1st Thanksgiving with him was so great! Have a wonderful holiday season with your new little one. It's such a sweet time; so cherish all those firsts!

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  5. I registered for glass bottles at babies r us for the same reason. And they're pretty cheap, so you might want to give them a try and see if the suction improves.

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  6. Thanks for the info, I've done some research on this and we are planning to use glass bottles. I am going to check out the store where you got your bottles to see what else they have!

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  7. Not sure if this will help, but we had suction problems with our bottles as well, we loosened the cap a bit so air could get in and release the suction, that really seemed to help, just don't loosen it too far so it drips!

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  8. I ordered a few of those bottles per your suggestions!!! It will be hard to get toys without plastic. Have you been able to find any with the good plastic? Also...did you get my email the other day...my email has been on the fritz lately...oh technology!
    PS: Cute new profile pic

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  9. Hey there.. I was checking out the blog on your 'non adoption blogs I read', the 6beansandrice. What is their story? Sounds so awesome. Are they moving to Costa Rica for a short time or for years? for Work? what a cool adventure.

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  10. ummm I am sort of feeling like a bad parent right now because I know absolutely nothing about plastics being bad for babies for us to microwave food in... I mean I know plastic bags are bad for the environment, but thats about all I know. I clearly need to do some research and educate myself a bit.

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  11. I was seeing a naturpathic physician this time last year for acupuncture and nutrition, and she said the same thing about plastics. There's even a test that can find out the level of toxicity in your body because of plastics/lead/synthetic products. This is such a good post--great info. I just found a toystore in Portland last week that stocks all "green" toys and clothes, so that was exciting to me.

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