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smdl
I love Gary too..on a plate!
Member since 5/06 32461 total posts
Name:
me
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The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Rob,
The Baby Bargains book simply got it wrong. The NIH panel’s report was a home run in terms of speaking for this materials safety, please read the below information we have on this subject. I assure you that if any evidence came to light that suggested a material we were using was harmful, we would switch in a heartbeat. That is simply not the case.
The Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow® bottle is made of polycarbonate plastic. Polycarbonate plastic is used to make a wide variety of products, ranging from cell phones, safety glasses and computers to food contact products such as baby bottles, water bottles and food storage containers. Polycarbonate plastic has been safely used by consumers for decades and has been authorized for food and drink contact application by government agencies worldwide. Polycarbonate contains small traces of Bisphenol A, an industrial chemical that is necessary to make polycarbonate, have been extensively studied and tested for health and safety by both manufacturers and government agencies. These tests have demonstrated that consumer exposure to Bisphenol A does not pose a risk to human health.
Dr. Brown’s conforms to both the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food guidelines as well as their new EN14350 guidelines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as all other regulatory agencies worldwide, including those in Europe and Japan , authorize the use of polycarbonate plastic in applications that come in direct contact with food, such as baby bottles.
It’s perfectly alright to heat the bottle; they’re designed to be dishwasher safe.
Below are some links to information we have on the subject.
1. http://www.coalitionforconsumerchoice.org/
2. http://www.plasticsinfo.org/babybottles/index.html
2. http://www.bisphenol-a.org/
3. http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.1033/pub_detail.asp
4. http://www.jpma.com
5. http://bisphenol-a.org/whatsNew/20060412.html
6. http://www.bisphenol-a.org/whatsNew/20060505.html
7. http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.1429/pub_detail.asp
8. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press_room/press_release/pr_bpa.html
Thank you for using Dr. Brown’s Natural Flow, and if there is ever anything else we can do please call us at 1(800)778-9001 or e-mail us through our website
ETA: I did not post to say that Dr. Brown's was right or wrong.
I just posted THEIR answer on an email my DH sent them in regards to the BPA issue.
We still have to make our own decision on how comfortable we are with the issue.
Message edited 8/22/2007 12:25:33 PM.
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Posted 8/22/07 10:55 AM  |
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Long Island Weddings
Long Island's Largest Bridal Resource |
FelAndJon
needs to update her avatar pic
Member since 6/05 10212 total posts
Name:
Felice (aka LuckyBride2004)
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Thank you! 
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| Posted 8/22/07 11:12 AM |
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LIMOMx2
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Member since 5/05 24989 total posts
Name:
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Thanks
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| Posted 8/22/07 11:13 AM |
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LuvMy2Girls
@>---------
Member since 5/05 11165 total posts
Name:
Mommy
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Thank you
Baby Bargains press release is so fishy to me, if i were a baby brand I would do ANYTHING to get a top rating in that bible of baby books for 1st time moms. That's a marketers/advertising DREAM!
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| Posted 8/22/07 11:35 AM |
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dm24angel
Happiness
Member since 5/05 34581 total posts
Name:
Donna
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Thank you...I was stilll using them, but this helped me feel better....
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| Posted 8/22/07 11:40 AM |
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heidla
Me and the guys
Member since 5/05 4024 total posts
Name:
Heidi
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
JMO, but I don't know that I trust the makers of the product to be completely honest about the situation.
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:14 PM |
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Sassyz75
Turning a new page
Member since 5/05 9731 total posts
Name:
Dina
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by heidla
JMO, but I don't know that I trust the makers of the product to be completely honest about the situation.
I agree.
just b/c something is within what the government considers safe- doesn't mean it is safe.. they are all lobbied by big business...
just like Global Warming didn't exist years ago or cigarettes were safe!
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:16 PM |
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pmpkn087
Life is good...
Member since 9/05 18504 total posts
Name:
Stephanie
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by Sassyz75
Posted by heidla
JMO, but I don't know that I trust the makers of the product to be completely honest about the situation.
I agree.
just b/c something is within what the government considers safe- doesn't mean it is safe.. they are all lobbied by big business...
just like Global Warming didn't exist years ago or cigarettes were safe!
I agree. That answer is a uniform response to 100s of emails that they got.
This line:
It’s perfectly alright to heat the bottle; they’re designed to be dishwasher safe.
Is very misleading. They don't say it's perfectly alright to heat the formula IN the bottle, which is the issue, right?
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:21 PM |
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dawnygirl25
Growing up soo fast..
Member since 1/06 14917 total posts
Name:
Dawn
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
thank you for posting this.
I have continued using our Dr Browns because DD is 14 mths old and we plan on getting her off the bottle very soon anyway. but this makes me feel better.
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:24 PM |
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smdl
I love Gary too..on a plate!
Member since 5/06 32461 total posts
Name:
me
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
I did not post to say that Dr. Brown's was right or wrong.
I just posted THEIR answer on an email my DH sent them in regards to the BPA issue.
We still have to make our own decision on how comfortable we are with the issue.
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:24 PM |
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LIMOMx2
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Member since 5/05 24989 total posts
Name:
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
My thought is that if they were dangerous, why wouldn't they have been pulled almost a year ago when all this first came out.
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:24 PM |
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Tah-wee-ZAH
Kisses
Member since 5/05 15952 total posts
Name:
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by pmpkn087
Posted by Sassyz75
Posted by heidla
JMO, but I don't know that I trust the makers of the product to be completely honest about the situation.
I agree.
just b/c something is within what the government considers safe- doesn't mean it is safe.. they are all lobbied by big business...
just like Global Warming didn't exist years ago or cigarettes were safe!
I agree. That answer is a uniform response to 100s of emails that they got.
This line:
It’s perfectly alright to heat the bottle; they’re designed to be dishwasher safe.
Is very misleading. They don't say it's perfectly alright to heat the formula IN the bottle, which is the issue, right?
I agree.
I tend to side with Baby Bargains on this one. Similarly to Consumer Reports they have no economic interest in endorsing one product over another. Dr. Brown's has the future of the product line and their bottom line to worry about so of course, they will defend their product.
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:34 PM |
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mommy2bella
Where does time go?
Member since 12/05 9747 total posts
Name:
Kelly
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
I lived for Dr Brown's when Bella was on a bottle, I cannot imagine using anything else when I have another.
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:36 PM |
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JessieQ
Rest in Peace baby Rogan
Member since 6/07 1122 total posts
Name:
Jessica
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
This is a contentious issue, and of course Dr. Brown's is going to try their hardest to downplay any negative findings. The problem is so far no one has PROVEN that there is a link between BPA in bottles and any hormonal problems in children (BPA acts as a pseudoestrogen which means it stimulates the same receptors that estrogen does in the body- this can affect both males and females, because males also respond to estrogen- studies have found fertility issues as well as cancers in both males and females with exposure to pseudoestrogens). There is a lot of scientific evidence to say BPA is dangerous, and there is evidence that BPA is leaching out of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. The experiments done so far show the problem is worsened when the bottles are heated, and if the bottles are damaged from repeated washings- both things will release more BPA.
Here is a link from the NIH TOXNET page with a paper that studied this. link There are tons more, you can go to the NIH Toxnet main page and do a search on bpa or baby bottles to see the research.
I think it's impossible to be totally safe from these possibly cancer-causing agents. They're in everything, and alternatives aren't always the best- for example, glass bottles obviously carry the risk of breaking and injuring your child.
I would say if you want to be safe, after you run them in the dishwasher (or if you scrub them by hand in hot water), rinse them in cold water. that will get rid of any BPA that was released. Also if you are worried, I would get a glass container to heat the formula and then transfer to the bottle- or at least heat it as little as possible. Importantly, if your bottles are old and/or scratched, toss them out- damaged bottles release more BPA even at room temp according to studies.
Also, just for your own information, Nalgene bottles are made of polycarbonate, so you may want to take the same precautions if you drink out of those bottles yourself. There are studies in mice that exposure to polycarbonate that was damaged or to BPA could cause birth defects.
Sorry for all the info but I had to give a presentation for this for a class a few years ago, plus having a daughter myself I am aware of these issues. (I still give my DD plastic bottles but never heat them in the microwave- although I admit this was a good reminder to myself to check her bottles for scratches tonight).
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| Posted 8/22/07 12:47 PM |
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jgm26
LIF Adolescent
Member since 7/06 583 total posts
Name:
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by heidla
JMO, but I don't know that I trust the makers of the product to be completely honest about the situation.
Completely agree. I switched bottles just be safe
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| Posted 8/22/07 1:02 PM |
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Diane
Hope is Contagious....catch it
Member since 5/05 30683 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by dm24angel
Thank you...I was stilll using them, but this helped me feel better....
ditto
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| Posted 8/22/07 1:27 PM |
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Aga
hello baby Albert
Member since 9/05 7750 total posts
Name:
Aga
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by JessieQ
This is a contentious issue, and of course Dr. Brown's is going to try their hardest to downplay any negative findings. The problem is so far no one has PROVEN that there is a link between BPA in bottles and any hormonal problems in children (BPA acts as a pseudoestrogen which means it stimulates the same receptors that estrogen does in the body- this can affect both males and females, because males also respond to estrogen- studies have found fertility issues as well as cancers in both males and females with exposure to pseudoestrogens). There is a lot of scientific evidence to say BPA is dangerous, and there is evidence that BPA is leaching out of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. The experiments done so far show the problem is worsened when the bottles are heated, and if the bottles are damaged from repeated washings- both things will release more BPA.
Here is a link from the NIH TOXNET page with a paper that studied this. link There are tons more, you can go to the NIH Toxnet main page and do a search on bpa or baby bottles to see the research.
I think it's impossible to be totally safe from these possibly cancer-causing agents. They're in everything, and alternatives aren't always the best- for example, glass bottles obviously carry the risk of breaking and injuring your child.
I would say if you want to be safe, after you run them in the dishwasher (or if you scrub them by hand in hot water), rinse them in cold water. that will get rid of any BPA that was released. Also if you are worried, I would get a glass container to heat the formula and then transfer to the bottle- or at least heat it as little as possible. Importantly, if your bottles are old and/or scratched, toss them out- damaged bottles release more BPA even at room temp according to studies.
Also, just for your own information, Nalgene bottles are made of polycarbonate, so you may want to take the same precautions if you drink out of those bottles yourself. There are studies in mice that exposure to polycarbonate that was damaged or to BPA could cause birth defects.
Sorry for all the info but I had to give a presentation for this for a class a few years ago, plus having a daughter myself I am aware of these issues. (I still give my DD plastic bottles but never heat them in the microwave- although I admit this was a good reminder to myself to check her bottles for scratches tonight).
very interesting... do you know what temperature we are talking about? I cannot find the answer to that... we hand wash all the bottle and heat up milk in the bottle warmer (not really heat up just to take the chill from the milk), are we ok then? just curious?
Message edited 8/22/2007 2:23:34 PM.
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| Posted 8/22/07 2:23 PM |
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JessieQ
Rest in Peace baby Rogan
Member since 6/07 1122 total posts
Name:
Jessica
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by Aga
very interesting... do you know what temperature we are talking about? I cannot find the answer to that... we hand wash all the bottle and heat up milk in the bottle warmer (not really heat up just to take the chill from the milk), are we ok then? just curious?
Well the one I found tested new bottles vs ones that had run through the dishwasher around 50 or 150 times. They found more BPA released in the ones that were put through the dishwasher, verifying that the damage increases release of the BPA. But they also put them in boiling water for 1 hour- I don't think they were trying to get a real-world test, they were just trying to prove that BPA leaches from bottles more when damaged.
Then there's another paper that found there was residual BPA released from most bottle brands when heated (well those available in Singapore, where the study was done), but it was below the US EPA's maximum recommended "dose."
link
There was also a study on mice that found that newborn mice were much more sensitive to the effects of BPA than adult mice, which is why there is so much concern over BPA in baby bottles (I'm not sure how the EPA determined what a safe daily dose of BPA is but I'm pretty sure they used adults not infants when determining the dose).
link
I think there's definitely something to it, and the other thing is BPA-leaching plastic is used in a lot of other instances- according to that last paper, it's also in the lining of tin cans and in dental sealants. So who knows. I guess that's the double edged sword of technology/progress- as we develop all these new technologies that are allowing us to fight cancer, we're also releasing chemicals into our environment that may cause more cancer.
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| Posted 8/22/07 3:12 PM |
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Aga
hello baby Albert
Member since 9/05 7750 total posts
Name:
Aga
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by JessieQ
Posted by Aga
very interesting... do you know what temperature we are talking about? I cannot find the answer to that... we hand wash all the bottle and heat up milk in the bottle warmer (not really heat up just to take the chill from the milk), are we ok then? just curious?
Well the one I found tested new bottles vs ones that had run through the dishwasher around 50 or 150 times. They found more BPA released in the ones that were put through the dishwasher, verifying that the damage increases release of the BPA. But they also put them in boiling water for 1 hour- I don't think they were trying to get a real-world test, they were just trying to prove that BPA leaches from bottles more when damaged.
Then there's another paper that found there was residual BPA released from most bottle brands when heated (well those available in Singapore, where the study was done), but it was below the US EPA's maximum recommended "dose."
link
There was also a study on mice that found that newborn mice were much more sensitive to the effects of BPA than adult mice, which is why there is so much concern over BPA in baby bottles (I'm not sure how the EPA determined what a safe daily dose of BPA is but I'm pretty sure they used adults not infants when determining the dose).
link
I think there's definitely something to it, and the other thing is BPA-leaching plastic is used in a lot of other instances- according to that last paper, it's also in the lining of tin cans and in dental sealants. So who knows. I guess that's the double edged sword of technology/progress- as we develop all these new technologies that are allowing us to fight cancer, we're also releasing chemicals into our environment that may cause more cancer.
thanks! what do they mean by damage? scratches on the inside or outside of the bottle? this is all very confusing 
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| Posted 8/22/07 3:24 PM |
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JessieQ
Rest in Peace baby Rogan
Member since 6/07 1122 total posts
Name:
Jessica
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by Aga
thanks! what do they mean by damage? scratches on the inside or outside of the bottle? this is all very confusing
They mean to the inside, any part that would come into contact with the milk the baby drinks. The stress of running it through the dishwasher or hand-scrubbing the bottles causes scartches/wearing away of the plastic, which can cause an increase in the release of BPA.
I am not an expert but I did read this book "The Estrogen Effect" and it had a lot of info in it about environmental estrogens, and then I learned a lot when I had to give a presentation on the subject, so I figured I'd pass along what I know. Here's a link to the book.The Estrogen Effect
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| Posted 8/22/07 3:37 PM |
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Aga
hello baby Albert
Member since 9/05 7750 total posts
Name:
Aga
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by JessieQ
Posted by Aga
thanks! what do they mean by damage? scratches on the inside or outside of the bottle? this is all very confusing
They mean to the inside, any part that would come into contact with the milk the baby drinks. The stress of running it through the dishwasher or hand-scrubbing the bottles causes scartches/wearing away of the plastic, which can cause an increase in the release of BPA.
I am not an expert but I did read this book "The Estrogen Effect" and it had a lot of info in it about environmental estrogens, and then I learned a lot when I had to give a presentation on the subject, so I figured I'd pass along what I know. Here's a link to the book.The Estrogen Effect
thanks for answering my questions, hard not to be paranoid
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| Posted 8/22/07 4:15 PM |
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monkeybride
My Everything
Member since 5/05 20541 total posts
Name:
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by JessieQ
Also, just for your own information, Nalgene bottles are made of polycarbonate, so you may want to take the same precautions if you drink out of those bottles yourself. There are studies in mice that exposure to polycarbonate that was damaged or to BPA could cause birth defects.
So are the Nalgene bottles safe if you don't heat them? I do put mine in the dishwasher but I will buy new ones and stop that. DD also drinks from a Nalgene toddler cup but it doesn't get heated.
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| Posted 8/22/07 4:17 PM |
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JessieQ
Rest in Peace baby Rogan
Member since 6/07 1122 total posts
Name:
Jessica
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by monkeybride
Posted by JessieQ
Also, just for your own information, Nalgene bottles are made of polycarbonate, so you may want to take the same precautions if you drink out of those bottles yourself. There are studies in mice that exposure to polycarbonate that was damaged or to BPA could cause birth defects.
So are the Nalgene bottles safe if you don't heat them? I do put mine in the dishwasher but I will buy new ones and stop that. DD also drinks from a Nalgene toddler cup but it doesn't get heated.
I'm not sure if they've done the same amount of experiments on Nalgene bottles b/c they're not usually used by infants, but from what I read they're made out of polycarbonate so BPA could also leach out. I would assume if you don't heat then they should be ok. Oh and also one other thing with those, I know a lot of people (inlcuding myself a few years ago) would leave water in there for more than a day or so before washing it. I would assume this would mean more accumulation of BPA, so maybe try to at least rinse it out every day (even if you leave it in the fridge- plus you could accumulate bacteria so it's a good idea to wash it anyway!). Plus take care if you leave it in your car it may get hot. Other than that, I wouldn't worry too much.
By the way I apologize to smdl for hijacking this thread!
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| Posted 8/22/07 4:30 PM |
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smdl
I love Gary too..on a plate!
Member since 5/06 32461 total posts
Name:
me
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Posted by JessieQ.
By the way I apologize to smdl for hijacking this thread!
Not a problem at all. I welcome all information on the topic.
I did not post their email as a proof of safety of their product but as what their response is on the topic.
I think the more we are informed the better. 
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| Posted 8/22/07 6:16 PM |
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DancinBarefoot
06ers Rock!!
Member since 1/07 9534 total posts
Name:
The One My Mother Gave Me ;-)
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Re: The answer we ALL wanted on BPA and Dr. Brown's bottles - An email from them to my DH answering the email he sent them in regards to BPA
Sophie thank you for taking the time to post the response you were given.
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| Posted 8/22/07 7:29 PM |
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