Five leading manufacturers of polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles face a class-action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The five makers --- Gerber, Evenflo, Avent, Playtex, and Dr. Brown’s --- are facing a suit filed over the presence of Bisphenol-A (BPA).
According to one laboratory report, potentially dangerous levels of BPA can leak into the contained liquid when the baby bottles are heated. The lawsuit establishes a link between BPA and conditions such as early puberty and possible autism. Though BPA in PC has been considered safe in Europe, it is being deemed dangerous in California.
A statement concerning BPA was released by Playtex Products Inc, stating that BPA is an ingredient used to make all PC, including those used for infant feeding. Playtex also stressed that in spite of the recent media focus on the use of polycarbonates, the weight of scientific evidence ensures that BPA is safe for use in food and drink containers. For nearly 50 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recognized PC as safe for use in food-contact applications mainly because PC can be cleaned with very hot water, does not absorb odors, and over time has been shown to be an extremely safe substitute for glass in medical and food industries.
The Playtex release also noted that BPA levels in PC are deemed safe and have no effects on the reproductive or developmental systems. It doesn’t have any carcinogenic effects on humans either.
International studies, including those that are done by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the FDA, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Japanese National Institute of Health Sciences, have all cleared PC and BPA.