BPA

The California legislature recently passed a bill outlawing BPA in children's toys and bottles. This prompted a media swell from BPA detractors and manufacturers.

One NPR commentator mentioned some studies (or hypotheses) linking excessive BPA exposure to early onset puberty.

I knew that BPA has been linked to some health issues, but didn't worry about it too much, thinking that Olivia was going to have a base level of exposure to environmental and other toxins being raised during this century and that I was willing to take a calculated risk in order to reduce my level of stress and daily neuroses.

But if I needed a kick in the seat to worry about BPA, the threat of early adolescence was it. Adolescence was tough enough for me (and my parents), I would do anything I could to prevent 4 extra years of adolescence.

We definitely used a number of non-BPA free bottles. Who would have thought that the $12 Phillips Avent bottles made in England had BPA? We also bought a number of the gimmicky 'simulated breast' bottles, and bought cheap bottles at the drugstore when we were late for daycare or dropping her off at her grandparents' house. (As I've commented previously, for as many baby stores as there are in Berkeley, it's hard to find one that actually sells baby supplies.) And I'm pretty sure that the daycare ladies have a stash of BPA bottles.

Ironically, the highest level of BPA exposure Olivia has had has probably come from my breast milk.

Stay tuned to this blog in about 9 years for the longitudinal evidence from one subject (who has also been exposed to pesticides, bovine growth hormone, and lead. Hey, we aren't running a controlled test here.)