Microplastics in baby bottles: how to limit the risks?
Remember, in 2010 France banned the manufacture and marketing of baby bottles containing bisphenol A, a chemical substance classified as an "endocrine disruptor". Today, plastic baby bottles are often made of polypropylene, but are they safe?
On the same subjectBaby diapers: they are less toxic (but 3 brands remain to be avoided)The authors of the study published in the journal Nature Food on October 19 exposed each of the best-selling models of polypropylene baby bottles to the preparation procedure recommended by the World Health Organization: sterilization of the bottle and water heated to 70°C to eliminate any dangerous bacteria then agitation of the powder once in the bottle.
Conclusion: some baby bottles release up to 16 million microplastics per litre. The temperature of the milk and the agitation step would play an important role in the diffusion of these microparticles. According to an estimate by the researchers, a 12-month-old baby would swallow an average of 1.5 million microplastics every day.
However, the researchers do not wish to alarm parents for the simple reason that they do not know the impact of these microplastics on health. "The last thing we want is to cause parents to become unduly alarmed, especially since we don't have enough information about the potential health consequences of microplastics on babies," comments one of the authors, John Boland.
How to reduce the ingestion of dangerous particles?
When in doubt, the researchers list a series of recommendations for parents.
This is not the first study to show food contamination by microplastics. "A human being ingests an average of 5 grams of plastic each week, the equivalent of the weight of a credit card", concluded in 2019 a report commissioned by the NGO WWF.
The study did not look at glass baby bottles. Admittedly, they are heavier and breakable but they do not release harmful particles!
Loading widgetSubscribe to the Top Santé Newsletter to receive the latest news for free
