This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Wal-Mart has called it quits on plastic baby bottles made with BPA, or bisphenol A. Nalgene Outdoor Products said it would stop using the chemical in its popular clear plastic bottles. Toys "R" Us is nixing BPA-tinged products.
BPA is a man-made plastic found in many household items - including reusable water bottles, baby bottles and epoxy resins lining cans of food and soft drinks - and can leak into food and drinks in those containers.
A recent study by the National Institutes of Health suggested a link between BPA and higher rates of cancer, reproductive system abnormalities and nutritional and developmental problems among children who were exposed to BPA while their mothers were pregnant. It may soon be banned in Canada and is also subject to increased regulatory scrutiny in the U.S.
A few suggestions from the May 2008 issue of Consumer Reports magazine on how to avoid BPA from leaching into your drinkables:
* Hard, transparent plastic containers marked with the recycling codes ''7'' or ''PC'' usually contain materials made with BPA.
* Use bottles marked with recycling codes ''1,'' ''2,'' or ''5'' instead. Those numbers stand for polyethylene, high-density polyethylene and polypropylene, all BPA-free hard plastics.
* Glass baby bottles or those made of polyethylene are safest, said Consumer Reports.
* Try a stainless steel or aluminum reusable water bottle.