Sunoco Joins Fight Against BPA

Sunoco chemical company announced that it would restrict sales of bisphenol-A, or BPA to manufacturers who were using the chemical in food and water containers for children under three. This move makes Sunoco the first major manufacturer to acknowledge safety concerns about BPA or bisphenol-A.

This is the most recent action regarding moves against BPA. Last week, six of the nation's largest bottle manufacturers announced they would no longer be using BPA in baby bottles. Most major retailers, including Wal-mart and Toys-R-us, have now removed products containing BPA from their store shelves.

BPA is said to mimic the effects of the hormone estrogen and cause breast, prostrate and uterine tumors, in some studies. However, the FDA concluded that there was no harm from BPA, but that opinion is considered flawed by many as the FDA relied upon many of the industries' own internal studies.

My wife and I have a 5-month-old at home and it took us some looking to find bottles and plastics that did not contain BPA. I don't think manufacturers are currently required to warn or label their products as containing BPA, so look for labels that verify that the products do not contain BPA. While studies may be at odds, I always advise better safe than sorry, and would advise against using BPA containing products for children under three years of age.