The Globe and Mail has been ALL OVER the BPA story this week. Again today, they have more revelations, and more evidence that BPA is harmful.

Bisphenol A… has the ability to alter the activity of genes in normal breast cells in ways that resemble what is found in extremely dangerous breast cancers, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by researchers in California and published this month in the journal Cancer Research, found that many genes in non-cancerous breast cells exposed to trace amounts of bisphenol A began acting in a way that closely resembled the gene activity in highly aggressive breast tumours that led to an increased likelihood that women would die of the disease.

The link “is highly supportive of the concept that overexposure to BPA and/or similar compounds could be an underlying factor in the aggressiveness, if not in the causality” of breast cancers, said Shanaz Dairkee, lead author of the study and senior scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco, in an e-mail.[source]

With that ammunition, the Canadian government took action today to deem BPA a dangerous substance.

“Canada has been the first country in the world to conduct risk assessments on a number of chemicals of concern, as a result of a new initiative announced by the Prime Minister on December 8, 2006 known as the Chemicals Management Plan,” said Minister Clement. “We have immediately taken action on bisphenol A, because we believe it is our responsibility to ensure families, Canadians and our environment are not exposed to a potentially harmful chemical.”[source]

It’s not enough to have it banned, but enough to scare retailers across the country to get the stuff off their shelves. Some manufacturers are also getting the message.

Nalge Nunc International, a division of Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., said Friday it will substitute its Nalgene Outdoor line of polycarbonate plastic containers with BPA-free alternatives. [source]

But some aren’t. Check out the headlines at bisphenol-a.org

Are the Myths About Polycarbonate Bottles True? New Information Supports the Safe Use of Polycarbonate Bottles - February 5, 2008

Polycarbonate Bottles Are Still Safe For Use – In Spite of the Latest Scare Story - January 31, 2008

New Data from CDC Confirms Human Exposure to Bisphenol A in the United States is Far Below Safe Limits - November 1, 2007

Sound Science Prevails in Review of Bisphenol A - August 8, 2007

Myths? Scare tactics? Safe?

Like I said yesterday, these arguments sound a lot like those that came from big tobacco in the 80s and 90s.

I’ve been most concerned about baby bottles and soothers and dishes with this news. But sports bottles and home water coolers are also affected. Yes, home water cooler jugs. The big ones where you get home delivery? Look at the number on the bottom.

A key to whether a bottle contains BPA can be found in the recycling number at the bottom of the bottle or on a label. Most drink containers sold in stores have the number “1″, recommended for one-time use only. Containers considered toxin-free include number “2″ high-density polyethylene (HDPE), number “4″ low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and number “5″ polypropylene (PP).

However, baby bottles, many drinking cups and polycarbonate bottles marked with recycle number “7″ contain BPA. Many oversized bottles used for home and office water coolers — including those from Canadian Springs — are made of the “7″ variety.

Calls to a half-dozen water companies that deliver to B.C. homes and offices, including Canadian Springs, were not returned Thursday. [source]

But not all water cooler jugs are bad, a Winnipeg company makes them BPA free, and theyve seen a boom in sales this year.

If you’re not willing to take chances with your life, or the life of your children, have a read of this earlier posting to find out companies that produce BPA free products and other steps you can take to be safe.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

I am floored as I write this.

I started to think this morning, as I did more research on BPA and who says it’s okay, and who says it’s bad, that the manufacturers were behaving like big tobacco back in the day.

You know, throwing out studies saying their products were just fine, thank you very much, while governments took steps to ban them.

Polycarbonates are used in thousands of consumer products such as reusable food containers, lifesaving medical devices and sport safety equipment. Manufacturers of such products, including baby bottles use polycarbonate because it prevents cracking, shattering and other hazards that can lead to injuries. The key concern for parents is whether BPA can get into their child’s food through leaching from polycarbonate bottles.

That’s directly from the Avent website, one of the most popular manufacturers of baby bottles because their nipples are very representative of the human form. Jen’s friends all recommended Avent to us. This morning Jen called the company and, sure enough, they copped to the BPA and admitted their bottles have a recycle number of 7.

So Jen called the recycling depot and guess what? The bottles are NOT recyclable. They’re nasty, nasty, nasty.

I’ve been spreading the word amongst other parent bloggers that I know, including Dutch Blitz and Laughing Alone in the Dark to get the BPA alert out to other new parents. I saw a mention over at DaddyTypes just now, and I immediately ran to the blog.

The bottle manufacturers have heard the sabre rattling. They get that HBC, Canadian Tire, WalMart and others are removing BPA products from the shelves, and they’re fighting back - by saying nothing’s wrong.

Found in a wide variety of products, lightweight and shatter-resistant polycarbonate plastic has been the material of choice in baby bottles for 25 years. The potential for exposure to bisphenol A from bottles has been extensively examined and the results reviewed by government bodies worldwide that have responsibility for assessing the safety of consumer products.

“The findings in NTP’s draft report provide reassurance that consumers can continue to use products made from BPA,” said Robert Waller, Jr., CAE, president of JPMA. “Sound and respected scientific research has consistently shown there is no danger to consumers when products are used as intended.”

There is significant data available on the safety of BPA. From baby bottles and food packaging, to bicycle helmets and eyeglass lenses, as well as incubators and components of many life-saving medical devices, polycarbonate plastic makes everyday lives better and safer. [source]

It doesn’t make sense.

If it is so harmless, why is the Canadian government moving to label it a toxic substance? The use of BPA is so widespread, that to remove it from shelves will have significant impact. Why go through the hassle if it’s “no big deal” as JPMA and Avent would have us believe.

Cigarettes are killers. The tobacco company lied about it for decades before getting caught.

Now baby bottles are dangerous and the manufacturers are lying about it too? These are BABIES we’re talking about. INFANTS. Our CHILDREN.

Why are you LYING to me about the health and safety of my child?

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Want to know why so many young girls are entering puberty around 10, when it used to be around 13 or 14? Want to know why so many teen boys can grow a full beard in Grade 10, when I could barely get peach fuzz?

Baby bottles. Specifically, plastic baby bottles laced with Bisphenol A (BPA). [wikipedia]

They’re cute, they’re convenient, and they’re poisoning our children.

Retailers are making sweeping changes today in advance of Health Canada declaring BPA as a dangerous chemical. A dangerous chemical that appears in everything from infant food containers to compact discs. [source]

It has now been linked to early onset puberty in children and breast cancer and prostate cancer in adults.

Health Canada is expected to issue a risk assessment this week that BPA is a potentially dangerous chemical, a move that could lead to some restrictions in its use, particularly for consumer applications that are likely to come into direct contact with foods or beverages.

The action by the Canadian government would be the first by any country to label the chemical used for decades in everything from baby bottles and the lacquer linings inside tin cans to dental sealants a possible health hazard. [blockquote]

Avent, a leading manufacturer of baby bottles, tows the company line when asked if their bottles contain harmful levels of BPA by only saying their products meet government standards. Well, the government standards are about to change, and those bottles, in fact, DO contain BPA.

DO YOUR BOTTLES CONTAIN BPA?

Look at the recycle number on the bottom. 1, 2, 4 and 5 are better. 3, 6 and 7 are bad. [source]

The Zrecs blog is fabulous. It has a lot more info to help you find other safe products. Back in February, they wrote the Z Report on BPA which includes this list of companies who produce BPA-free products:

Adiri | Baby Bjorn | Baby Cie | Babylife (Wee-go) | BFree | Born Free | Brita | Combi | DCI | Ezee Reach | Emily Green | Green to Grow | iPlay | Kidbasix | KidCo | Klean Kanteen | Medela | Mother’s Milkmate | Mud Pie Baby | Not Neutral | Nurture Pure | Obentec | ORE Originals | Prince Lionheart | Rivadossi Sandro (Trebimbi) | SIGG | Silikids | Skip*Hop | Steadyco | Thermos | thinkbaby [source]

ZRecs also has a text service where you can text Zrecs and the company name to 69866 and they will text back with BPA info on that company.

SO WHAT CAN WE DO?

First off, learn as much as you can about BPA. Then, go through your cupboards and get rid of everything that might be hurting you, and your family.

One of the first things we did last week was switch up Z’s water bottle. We picked up a Sigg bottle made of aluminum from Whole Foods. Expensive as hell, but safe for Z.

There have been rumblings about this chemical for years, but many disagreements between the studies. But look deeper as to why the studies disagreed.

Dozens of studies by independent researchers have linked low exposure to BPA in animal and test-tube experiments to illnesses, such as cancer, that are thought to have an origin in hormone imbalances, although industry-funded studies haven’t been able to find the same effects. [source]

Arm yourself with knowledge and make changes in your lifestyle. For your health. For the health of your children.

Here are some more tips from Green Living Online

# Use a metal or glass water bottle

# Limit your use of canned goods or choose canned foods from makers who don’t use it, such as Eden Foods

# Learn how to cook your own foods that you typically buy in cans — like beans or chickpeas

# Choose soups, milk and soy milk packaged in cardboard “brick” cartons, by Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc, with safer layers of aluminum and polyethylene (#2) that can also be recycled

# Use glass food storage containers instead of plastic

# Use glass baby bottles or plastic bag inserts made of polyethyelene, or switch to non-clear polypropylene bottles that are labeled with recycle #5

# Don’t buy canned infant formula

# Eat fresh foods in season to reduce your consumption of canned goods

# Buy or can your own foods in safe glass jars

# Stop using plastic wrap and plastic containers to heat food in microwaves. Ceramic and glass are better

# Throw out any old and scratched plastic bottles or plastic containers

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

Lots of parents want to limit the amount of television kids watch, and I get that. Most of it is mindless sexualized or violent imagery that doesnt really need to be exist in an infant’s world.

Some go so far as to ban all screen based media from their children for as long as they can.

Well, we’re not going that far. One of my fave things to do with Zacharie is pop him on my lap and fire keywords into YouTube to see what pops up.

For example, he has a favorite Richard Scarry poster in his bedroom. Pop Richard Scarry into YouTube and look what you get to watch .. the Busytown folks starring in a Beastie Boys romp. Fun for father and son!

Z also LOVES trucks. We take him out on the front porch to watch the street cleaners and garbage men do their thing. But that’s only once a week… so we check out the trucks on YouTube to pass along the time between pick-ups.

Here are two clips that make him smile and laugh and clap.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

Zacharie just discovered he has a tongue. He won’t keep it in his mouth.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

So we’ve been back for a week now, and have had to time to sit back and look at how our overseas adventures with a 10 month old went. Some thought we were crazy packing 2 suitcases, 2 knapsacks, a stroller, a carseat and a baby on a plane, through subways and around western France. Yes, it was a challenge at times, but, you know what? It really wasn’t that bad.

Here’s what we did right, and what we did wrong:

Bring only enough food to cover your plane trip, you can pick up the rest at markets in Paris. Yes, its a little more expensive, but the selection and quality are light years ahead of home.

Get out of the city. Accomodations are cheaper in the smaller towns. Life is more relaxed, and it’s more like staying at a home than in a hotel. We could do laundry, dishes, cook meals and share common areas giving Z much more space to roam than if we were in a 150sq ft bunker somewhere in the 1st Arr.

Once you’re in the campagne, use the rest stops - the cleaning stations at the rest areas are fabulous. The gas stations are usually paired with easy restos to feed you, and the bathrooms are totally tricked out for babies. They have stuffed animals to play with, they have huge sinks, padded change tables, and, as Jen says, were obviously designed by a mother.

Dont be afraid to ask to have food heated. EVERYONE has a microwave and is more than willing to help. Brasseries in the middle of Paris will gladly pour you a $5 coffee and run to the back to heat up some turkey stew for your baby - but be warned, they have some pretty powerful machines over there. Less than 30s is PLENTY to heat up your baby’s snack.

If you’re spending any time in Paris, get ready to do some heavy lifting when you take the metro. There are a few escalators, a lot of stairs and no elevators. To get from the street down to the station, you’ll need to carry your stroller up many flights of stairs and through a few tricky gates. The station attendants are happy to open up big doors to get you into the station, but you’re on your own dealing with the stairs. Bring a collapsable stroller and a Baby Bjorn type of carrier. Keep the baby in the Bjorn through the stations, and use the stroller when you’re up on the streets.

If you can double date - do it. I wish we would have gone with another couple, and for our next big vacation, we will. It would have been nice to have been able to experience some french nightlife, but with his feeding, bath and bedtime starting at 530 … we ended up grabbing plats a emporter, or salads and baguette from the marche and spent all our evenings inside, early.

That said, the self catering became necessary and we saved HUNDREDS by not eating at restos every night. For less than 20 Euros, we could get 2 salads, baguette, cheese, some sliced chorizo, a BOTTLE of wine, some dessert and water. Eat in a bistro and you’re looking at that much for one plat, dessert, entree combo.

Take a cab home to the airport. We took the train into town when we landed.
hauled the stroller, car seat, 2 knapsacks, 2 luggages, purse and baby, up and down stairs, on and off metros and the like. When we got out of town, we took a cab to the train station. When we came home, we looked at each other, counted up all the money we’d saved by being in our room each night at 5, and we bucked up for a cab.

Yes, it was 50 Euros ($80) to get from the 5th to CDG, but it took 1/3 the time and had 5% of the stress. It was the absolute best 50 we spent all trip.

Off season travelling is sooooo much easier. March and April are PERFECT months for wandering France, or, I’m guessing, any part of Europe. The rates are cheaper and the service is better. Yes, it was a little chilly at night, and it rained a few days, but have a look at this lunch in Blois. We had the entire.plaza.to.ourselves. Try that in August. Same in Chambord. Not one single person spoiling our pictures of the Chateau - try doing that when the parking lot is full of tour busses in July.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

I’ve made all of Zacharie’s food since we switched him to solids. My dear friend Erin Davis gave us Annabel Karmel’s book as a baby gift and the ease of the recipes was simply inspiring.

Each weekend I boil up potatoes, apples, tomatoes, chives, leeks and more. I grind up chicken, and turkey, and puree away. I make pasta and sauce and oatmeal and freeze it in trays for the week ahead.

It’s a great system.

But I gotta tell you, if we lived in France, I don’t think I would be going through the trouble. I just can’t compete.

The baby food the french babies get to snack on is spectacular.

Carrots, turkey, lamb, salmon, spaghetti, squash, couscous, apricots, apples, pears. Sure, all similar staples to back home, but it’s when you open the food bowls you see the difference.

In Canada, the food looks processed, pureed, and boiled into non-descript fecal matter. In France, you could crack open one of the ready to feed serving bowls and swear you had heated up your own freezer meal for lunch.

Come on, we all lick our fingers when we feed our children, and after sampling the stuff Z got to snack on the past 2 weeks, I was tempted to dig in right alongside him. Pot Au Feu, Turkey Stew, Apples with biscuits and more.

The Bledina baby meals are also broken down more consistently by age with a more gradual and visible texture added to the meals as the babies get older. 4, 6, 8, 12, 15, 18 mos+ all get their own individual meal plan.

Going to France we overstuffed the bag with diapers to use on the trip, coming home, we overstuffed with baby food.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

Jen and I often joke about how “you’re given what you can handle” when it comes to babies. Based on the behaviour of our son, we can’t handle much. He’s a saint, an angel a godsend and any other holy analogy you want to make.

All parents think their kids are perfect - ours is.

Witness the largest outbreak in 4 1/2 hours on a plane yesterday.

His first time flying and he was totally happy to sit in our lap, play with the tv screen and read books. He had a couple of killer naps, some snacks and flirted with the flight attendants and grammas on the plane.

Tomorrow night it’s round 2 - the red eye to Paris. The biggest struggle shouldnt be with Z on the plane, it will be getting our stroller, carseat, 2 knapsacks and 2 suitcases up and down the stairs and through the Paris Metro turnstiles.

Throw in a train change and a 4 block walk to the hotel, and we should be good an exhausted come 10a Monday - but you know we’ll have enough energy come the afternoon to head back out and up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

It’s flight day.

Easter Weekend with Nana and Gidu in Onterrible, and then 2 weeks en France.

I booked our flights in October and paid extra to secure seats so that we would have the most room possible for Z. This week I double checked our assignments. Out of 4 legs, we only have 1 bulkhead. 3 of the 4 legs are packed full flights.

Samuel L Jackson may have had it with those “mother*** snakes on this mother**** plane!” but he didnt have to deal with a baby.

Z is 10 mos old. He’s just learned to crawl and there is no way in hell he is going to sit still.

We have aisle seats and middle seats, but that 3rd person in our row is going to have fun. So we picked up a Congratulations! You Get to Sit Near Me tshirt to help break the ice with our lucky winner.

We’re lucky he’s so damn cute, maybe they’ll only just kill Jen and I and leave him.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

Jen and I are making our lists and checking them more than a few times before the big trip. We leave this Friday for a weekend with her parents in Toronto before 2 weeks touring around Paris, Normandy, Brittany and the Loire.

We’re pumped. And we’re packing. The plan is to have Jen and I share a bag, with Z having his own and then a knapsack for gadgets and daily diaper needs. Soooo .. who do you think needs more gear for 2 weeks away - Zacharie, or a tech obsessed daddy?

Here are the lists so far:

The Blog Acording to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?