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bpa and breast pumps

Minty - posted on 01/06/2009 ( 3 moms have responded )

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There is a lot of talk going on about bpa free bottles. I currently switched over from the regular Avent bottles to the bpa-free bottles. However, I am use the Avent duo electric pump which still has bpa. Will there still be a problem if I continue using it. It is an awfully expensive pump and am not sure which pumps would be bpa free.

Thanks

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Minty - posted on 01/08/2009

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thanks for the replies! Gonna stick to the pump. Switching to the bpa bottles gives me peace of mind enough. So easy to get caught up with the media hysteria.

Emily - posted on 01/06/2009

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I would tend to agree with Bridget - the risk seems to be when the milk is in contact with the plastic for longer periods of time or in the presence of heat.  I have all of these glass bottles but my little guy will only take the Adiri Natural nurser and even then he doesn't like it very much.  Of course, we have no idea what the long-term effects of any plastics are... it's an ongoing experiment!

Bridget - posted on 01/06/2009

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I'm sure that this will cause a lot of responses, but there is no SCIENTIFIC proof that BPA is harmful. I don't work for the chemical companies or anything, but I have a background in research and science and have looked at some of these so-called studies. No good studies have shown that BPA is harmful, any study that claims to is based on faulty sampling or anecdotal evidence (ie - i did this and something happened, so that must mean one caused the other). The media hype and public hysteria is what has driven this movement to ban BPA from everything, not true science or statistical evidence. And no government agencies have banned it, just stores that are folding to media and public pressure.

That being said, of course, no one wants to take risks with their own child. I don't specifically buy BPA free stuff, but I don't want my baby to be exposed to hazardous stuff either. Now, to be on the safe side, you should always throw out any plastics that start to turn hazy or crack, because these are signs that the plastic is degrading. Are the components hazardous? Maybe, maybe not, no one really knows. To delay the cracking or hazing, you can try to avoid super high heat, like dishwasher heat cycles and microwaves. And don't reuse or dishwasher wash plastics that aren't meant to be reheated, like soda bottles or other containers that food is originally packaged in. Buy containers that are meant to be reused and are heat-safe, or switch to glass or metal containers.

I think as long as your pump works for you and you don't have milk sitting in the parts for a long period of time, you should be perfectly fine. The BPA can only get into the milk if it is in contact with the milk for a while. So pump away and store the milk in clean bags or BPA free containers. Passing milk thru pump parts is so low risk for BPA that it's almost nothing. If you are absolutely certain that you want a BPA free pump, look into the Medela ones. I think all the parts that touch the milk are BPA free, although there are some plastics (like on the pump motor itself) that still contain BPA, but because they don't touch the milk it's not an issue. Good luck to you!!

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