Plastic Baby Bottles: Are They Safe?

Recent research on plastic bottles

Plastic baby bottles came under fire after an article appeared in the May 1999 issue of Consumer Reports. The story reported that small amounts of a chemical hormone found in clear plastic polycarbonate baby bottles seeped into infant formula when the formula was heated at high temperatures. The Food and Drug Administration and Juvenile Product Manufacturer's Association say that polycarbonate bottles are entirely safe, but Consumer Reports advised parents to stop using the clear plastic bottles in favor of either glass bottles, opaque polyethylene plastic bottles, or bottles with disposable plastic liners.

What should you do?
For starters, don't panic. Even Consumer Reports admits that more studies need to be done to evaluate the real risks posed to babies based on their research. Secondly, regardless of which type of bottle you are using, be sure to carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions for preparing and heating the formula. You should never boil formula because it can burn your baby's mouth and cause nutrients in the formula to break down.

"In our research, which was based on the same methodology used by the FDA, low levels of the chemical bisphenol-A were found in the formula after it had been heated in a clear polycarbonate bottle at boiling temperatures (100 degrees centigrade or 212 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 to 30 minutes," says Deborah Wallace, project leader of the Consumer Reports tests. "Today there is much less of a concern with sterilizing formula and, hence, with overheating it. Directions call only to warm the formula to room temperature or heat it for a few seconds in the microwave, but some people may still be preparing formula the way their parents did."

The FDA and JPMA say that as long as parents use the bottles in a "normal" fashion (such as warming the formula to room temperature or running the bottle under warm water), the bottles are safe to use. Microwaving formula is generally not recommended as the liquid can heat unevenly and burn your baby's mouth. And don't store formula in plastic bottles — pour formula into the bottle just before your child drinks it and discard any left over.

source from http://www.babycenter.com