An Arkansas woman is accusing Westport-based Playtex Products of using a dangerous chemical to make its plastic baby bottles.
Ashley Campbell’s federal lawsuit filed in federal court in New Haven is the latest legal challenge of the industrial chemical bisphenol A, which is used in everything from plastic water bottles to DVDs. Campbell says the chemical is linked to serious health problems.
The lawsuit seeks nationwide class-action status to represent thousands of potential plaintiffs.
Playtex spokeswoman Jacqueline Burwitz said the company does not comment on pending lawsuits. The company said in a statement that regulators in and outside the United States continue to deem the chemical safe.
The U.S. government’s National Toxicology Program recently said there is some concern about bisphenol A because of experiments on rats that linked the chemical to changes in behavior and the brain, including early puberty and possible precancerous changes in the prostate and breast.
The lawsuit contends that hundreds of studies and papers have repeatedly shown that the chemical can be toxic even at extremely low doses.
Citing “consumer confusion,” Playtex says it offers a free sample of a bottle system that uses disposable liners that are BPA-free and plans to convert the balance of its product line to BPA-free materials by the end of the year.
Seems people will seek lawsuits over anything.
Bisphenol A has been in the industry for some time now. While controversial, there is a cornucopia of other elements in which we are exposed to in our environments, voluntarily or involuntarily, which are certainly more life threatening; certainly to our developing children. While childhood obesity is a wide spread issue, and children with food allergies is something more familiar with those born in the past couple decades (attributed to, no doubt, changes in agricultural practices, do your research) seems this is a means of leeching money. Just think about what else is out there, which poisons our children and our bodies (including fast foods and processed foods; which are carcinogenic and linked to adult onset diabetes, being overweight, hyperactive, and/or lethargic….)
Now, if one can find a direct link to bisphenol A, and say, some kind of toxicity in her child, then maybe she has her case. But the presence of bisphenol A in our food containers and elsewhere, one must wonder if this case is really going to work out in the woman’s favor.
I don’t think so.
But we all know that we shouldn’t microwave plastic containers (like Tupperware) or heat them, so doesn’t it make sense that baby bottles that are made of plastic shouldn’t be heated either? I am never for frivoulous lawsuits, but I keep reading about how the chemicals in baby bottles can leach out.
If we’re finding that the plastic water bottles that are ubiquitous are not good for us as adults, then why wouldn’t the same be true of baby bottles that are usually heated? I’m not a scientist, but I find young mothers today (I’m a grandma) are usually much more on top of everything than we were as parents. Good for them.
And yes, hopefully childhood obesity will be the next problem the young parents solve.
I don’t think even a few people “know that we shouldn’t microwave plastic containers” so the basic building block of your logic is fatally flawed. I think we all know that you shouldn’t put metal in microwaves, other than that, everything elese is fair game, especially plastic.
And just because you “read about things” doesn’t make them true – your statement about microwaving plastic, for instance, is identified as an urban legend on Snopes.com [ http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp ] – I am willing to bet you read about that somewhere too, right?
I am a lawyer and I too am quite tired of frivolous lawsuits. Ms. Campbell
I almost always check snopes.com, Jack, and I appreciate this link, but the expert from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Institute (or whatever name) DID say that we shouldn’t heat food in plastic not made for heating (like regular Rubbermaid and Tupperware) and those are the ones I’m talking about.
I don’t know how old you are, but truly, this is something that many, many people know: don’t use storage plastic containers from the freezer or refrig to heat up something in the microwave without making sure it says “microwavable”. Ask around with your kids to see if they follow that advice (and NOT a scary urban legend but from the FDA which says not to heat in a container unless it has microwaving instructions with it). I agree with you—no scare tactics, but just common sense.
From the FDA web site:
http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/2002/602_plastic.html
…consumers should be sure to use any plastics for their intended purpose and in accordance with directions. If you don’t find instructions for microwave use, you should use a different plate or container that you know is microwave-safe. Such containers are made to withstand high temperatures.
For example, carryout containers from restaurants and margarine tubs should not be used in the microwave, according to the American Plastics Council. Inappropriate containers may melt or warp, which can increase the likelihood of spills and burns. Also, discard containers that hold prepared microwavable meals after you use them because they are meant for one-time use.
If the internet had been around in the 1940’s, I wonder how Snopes.com would they have treated the rumor that “Cigarette smoking can cause cancer.”
thanks for the info, John! I was driving down to the bank late today and thought, “Oh yeah, there are the take-out plastic containers too that they say not to heat food in.”
you folks can present this info ad nauseum, but I am nonetheless fairly confident that most people microwave food items in plastic containers, without researching their chemical tolerance to microwaving on the internet. Perhaps you folks are simply wiser, and more careful (or worrisome, depending on what you believe) than most people.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to microwave some leftovers, which are in Tupperware . . .
Jack,
Enjoy!