A new study published January 28, 2014 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Korean Medical Science reports on the “Influence of Bottle-Feeding on Serum Bisphenol A Levels in Infants”. The study authors Young-Jun Rhie and colleagues form the Department of Pediatrics at the Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, found significantly (P=0.014) higher levels of bisphenol A (BPA) serum levels in plastic bottle-fed infants compared to breast-fed babies, with values of 96.6 pg/mL and 45.5 pg/mL, respectively. The plastic bottles in this study were made from polycarbonate (PC). Interestingly, all serum samples contained detectable levels of BPA indicating a ubiquitous developmental exposure to BPA. BPA exposure is thought to be more detrimental to infant compared to adult health. Young-Jun Rhie and colleagues suggest that the PC baby bottles release considerable amounts of BPA, which can be detected in the serum of infants. The authors conclude that preventive measures should be put in place to prevent damaging developmental effects. PC baby bottles have been banned in many countries worldwide, including the US, Canada, European Union and China.
Reference
Young-Jun Rhie et al. (published online January 28 2014). “Influence of Bottle-Feeding on Serum Bisphenol A Levels in Infants” Journal of Korean Medical Science.
EU restrictions of use of bisphenol A in plastic infant feeding bottles (EU 321/2011)
