Phthalates & BPA - Two chemical compounds we should know more about

I am a cloth diapering mom, but I am also very concerned about the ingredients in other products my children use. One of my sons is very sensitive to detergents and is allergic to cinnamon. Our other son is allergic to corn and to dyes. We actually read the ingredient label now on every single piece of food that comes into our house and carefully watch all of our cleaners for ingredients that will cause reactions. I have been disappointed and surprised at the low levels to which some manufacturers will stoop to hide questionable ingredients. This issue was elevated again today when my husband, Jimmy, emailed me several articles about new research into BPA and Phthalates. The physical impact of these ingredients are often downplayed by United States product manufacturers and trade organizations, but the increasing media attention to this issue has raised the consumer awareness level and is producing an increased number of questions about the safety of products containing BPA and Phthalates.

We've been taught to be mostly concerned about soft plastic toys. However, MSNBC just published an article today about how researchers have found elevated levels of phthalates in the urine of babies just bathed, lotioned or powdered with baby products. The article mentions that artificial fragrances are a known source of phthalates. Unfortunately, my bathtub is currently full of fragranced baby products. I was very surprised to learn that the FDA does not require companies to disclose the exact ingredients in fragrance oils. This explains why we were unaware that phthalates were present in fragrance oils. As a parent, this makes me uncomfortable. As a product manufacturer, I have an ethical issue with hiding ingredients on a label.

This is an important issue for us at Cotton Babies because we recently developed and released bumGenius Bottom Cleaner, a cleansing product designed to be used in combination with reusable baby wipes and cloth diapers. The ingredient providing the fragrance in bumGenius Bottom Cleaner (for use with reusable baby wipes) is 100% natural Vanilla Planifolia. The product and the packaging are completely BPA and phthalate free.

In my travels through the issues related to plastics, I've also recently discovered that plastics can also leach bisphenol A (also known as BPA). Interestingly enough, except for bottles made by a few select manufacturers (including Born), BPA is common in polycarbonate baby bottles. Another report, published this weekend by Canada's leading national newspaper, Globe Life Health, states that boiling water in plastic containers spikes bisphenol A levels. Many parents will actually boil their baby's bottles to sterilize the bottle. Coffee drinkers to put very hot coffee in plastic travel mugs, then later microwave cold coffee in the same mug. Parents often microwave food for their child in a plastic bowl or plate. According to this article, this process can cause "a dramatic spike in the amount of bisphenol A, or BPA, leaching from containers into drinks... Bisphenol A is being reviewed because of health concerns that exposure to the hormone-like chemical could be a factor in recent health trends, such as increasing rates of prostate cancer, earlier onset of puberty in girls and declining sperm counts."

As the mother of two young boys, I find this rather concerning. I don't like to get all worked up about nothing, but found these two articles particularly concerning. We are now in the process of removing plastic sippy cups from our cupboard and moving to several non-leaching options available from SIGG and Foogo, by Thermos.

"Phthalates & BPA - Two chemical compounds we should know more about" is Copyright 2008, Cotton Babies, Inc.