Plastics

ParentSmart Gayle Jo Carter
Clearing up the plastics problem

As the drumbeat gets louder to ban bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastics used to make sippy cups and bottles, I wondered and worried: What exactly do parents, like myself, need to know about safely feeding our kids?

With a recent National Toxicology Program brief showing that BPA may disrupt neural and behavioral development in fetuses, infants and children, I knew that it was high time to clean house. But of what?

Sophie Uliano, eco-consultant and author of "Gorgeously Green," gives us her bottom line:

1. Always avoid plastics with No. 7 printed in the triangle on the bottom of containers. Safer numbers: 1, 2 and 5.
2. Never microwave baby food in any type of plastic container.
3. Avoid using plastic feeding utensils.
4. Use ceramic, enamel or glass plates.
5. Choose sippy cups, bottles and pacifiers free of BPAs (read information on packaging when shopping).
6. Take a second look at canned food because of inner plastic linings; studies show the chemicals in plastic can leech into formula, soup and pasta.

http://www.usaweekend.com/08_issues/080706/080706thinksmart-parent-plastic.html