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Baby bottles found to leach dangerous chemical levels

A member of the Environmental Quality Protection Foundation places different brands of baby bottles on a table while releasing a report on baby bottles at a press conference yesterday. Tests were conducted using the same protocol used by the EU. The results show three out of 19 brands did not conform to EU standards. PHOTO: CNA

Three out of 19 baby bottles sampled by the Environmental Quality Protection Foundation leached traces of the chemical compound bisphenol A (BPA) at a rate above 30ppb, the EU limit.

BPA is a chemical compound that is one of the materials used to make polycarbonate plastic, including that used to make some baby bottles.

The foundation sampled bottles bought in baby goods and warehouse stores in August and last September.

The foundation said BPA is a chemical that mimics the human sex hormone estrogen and can cause a harmful disruption to the body's hormonal balance, resulting in the increased possibility of miscarriage, obesity, diabetes and even cancer of the breast or prostate.

Foundation chairman Liou Ming-lone (劉銘龍) told a press conference yesterday that the tests were conducted using the same protocol used by the EU. There is currently no legal standard regulating BPA in this country.

Liou said the results of the tests will be submitted to the Department of Health, in the hope that it can be persuaded to start setting a limit on how much BPA polycarbonates used in baby bottles can leak.

The foundation opted not to release the names of the three brands that did not pass the test. Instead, they have listed the names of the 16 brands who did conform to EU standards on their Web site.

Ling Young-chien (凌永健), a chemistry professor at National Tsing Hua University, said parents should take precautions to ensure their child is not exposed to too much BPA through polycarbonates.

"There are bound to be traces of BPA particles which were not properly combined with the other chemical components," Ling said, "And as time goes on and the walls of the polycarbonate bottle becomes scratched, the possibility of leaching becomes greater."

Parents should not heat baby food in polycarbonate containers, Ling said. They should also refrain from using hot water or harsh detergents when washing dishes.

"Where possible, parents might want to consider not using polycarbonate plastics at all," he said.
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