This morning, I read a study that basically said there was not enough data to assess the risk to newborns. What parent wants their kids to be the used as lab mice to determine if a chemical is harmful or not?

So I guess the question to ask is whether or not we actually need BPA. Do we actually need polycarbonate bottles? Is there a safer alternative to BPA in cans? Eden Foods thinks its found one by going back to the vegatable-based epoxy that was used before the advent of BPA. I wonder if your friend has any info/opinion in that.

Secondly, this article is incredibly misleading. What they don't tell you is that BPA doesn't come out of urine as BPA. It comes out as glucoronidated-BPA. BPA goes in to the gut, absorbed, and hits the liver, the liver glucoronidates the BPA. Glucoronidated-BPA is effectively non-toxic. You may ask, why does this matter?

The article states, "Numerous studies have shown that it acts as an endocrine-disruptor in animals, including early onset of sexual maturation, altered development and tissue organization of the mammary gland and decreased sperm production in offspring. It may be most harmful in the stages of early development."

What they don't tell you is these studies inject BPA directly into the gut of mice, thereby by-passing the liver glucoronidation. If you perform the study by administering BPA orally (within the diet) then you have to go up to 600 mg/kg/day in order to see effects in the most sensitive species (mouse). In fact, 50 mg/kg/day is a clear no effect level. That would equal 2.5 grams of pure BPA monomer/day for a 50 kg person as being the safe level. To put it in more concrete terms, that would mean 0.5 grams for baby Julian.

I don't plan on grinding up baby bottles and injecting them into myself.

Thirdly, we know SOOOOOOOO much about BPA. We have millions upon million of dollars worth of excellent studies that show clear effects at astronomical doses when used by the relevant route. Anything is toxic when applied at a high enough dose. My cup of coffee contains hundreds of chemicals and specifically 7 well recognized human carcinogens. I trust using BPA because we know so much and we know we are over 1,000 fold lower in exposure than what could cause problems. We don't know so much about potential replacements for BPA to use in bottles, bicycle helmets, the functional lining of cans, etc…

There are certainly things to be concerned about. In, my opinion at least, BPA is a poison of the mind."

Like genetically altered vegetables. Which is over 70% in the markets. Not that they tell you this, or clearly mark them.

Had long debates about this in college.

I have 2 little kids and I agree. I don't want them to be the guinea pigs. It's not about BPA, really, it's about the way that we approach chemicals and human health. This is just one other sad example.