Dubai parents raise concerns over safety of bottle feeding

Dubai: Is my child being slowly poisoned? This is the question troubling parents in the ongoing international debate about chemical leaching from plastic feeding bottles into formula feed and milk.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even issued a statement last week stating that the amount of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) found in plastic bottles used for feeding babies is safe.

However, Ayushi Mehta, a 25-year-old mother of a 10-month-old boy in Dubai, said: "I am worried about this issue, especially as I am a working mother. My baby has to be bottle-fed ... there is no choice in the matter."

Mehta accepted that there are other options available but these are not very user-friendly.

"You do have feeding bottles made from glass. But they are very cumbersome to use, especially when you have to sterilise them every day. Additionally, they are very heavy for the baby to hold. So, you have to use plastic bottles."

Despite the approval from the FDA, dozens of studies by international scientists and university researchers have found that BPA is a cause for concern, the news agency AFP reported following the US authority's statement.

BPA is an artificial chemical used to harden polycarbonate plastic bottles.

The leaching apparently happens at high temperatures.

According to Dr Alia Ahmad, director of Paediatrics at the American Primary Care Clinic in Dubai, research on BPA is largely theoretical. "I think there might be a risk regarding this chemical but for now it is safe, until enough experimental evidence proves otherwise."

Some stores in Dubai that sell products for children are placing signs informing consumers that their major brands contain BPA.

Dr Alia said that no one can quantify how much of this chemical is actually harmful.

According to the AFP report, the US chemical industry and agencies that regulate the use of BPA have deemed the chemical safe, largely due to two industry-funded studies clearing it.

Dr Alia said: "The problem in such cases is ... if major chemical companies are funding studies, they might pick findings that make it look the safest."

When plastic is produced, it has to go through multiple safety tests, such as exposure to high or low temperatures.

According to UAE-based environmental scientist Mohammad Abu Leish, the level of the tests depends on how strict or lenient the regulations are in the country of manufacture.

General practitioner Dr Preeta Reghunath said that the human body is not designed to take in any of the chemicals found in plastic bottles.

Regulations

These chemicals will affect infants the most, as their "immune system is not strong enough".

When Dr Reghunath worked in a maternity hospital in India, she used to warn parents against using plastic cutlery.

"It is not just BPA that is harmful, there are many chemicals that are being injected into plastic bottles that can harm a child," she said.

During her years in practice many infants and children were brought in with body aches by parents.

"We had many cases of stomach, as well as throat pains because of excessive use of plastic, especially if the plastic is not produced well."

This raises the key issue in the debate - the quality of manufacturing.

Abu Leish said: "Plastic has to be produced the right way. The chemicals used in making the plastic have to be of the correct concentration, should have the least amount of toxic effect to prevent any leakage and be able to handle the conditions of the environment well."

So, the best advice from all the experts is to check the make of the plastic feeding bottle before buying. You need to check if it is from a country with standardised manufacturing regulations.

Dr Alia suggests parents should either research online or contact independent federal agencies abroad that will provide results. In the case of the UAE, parents could contact the local municipal body.