In a first-of-its-kind study published
by the American Chemical Society, researchers analyzed 59 baby teethers
commonly sold in the United States, and found 100 percent of them contained
Bisphenol A (BPA), Bisphenol S (BPS) or Bisephenol F (BPF), and most contained
various parabens, as well as the antimicrobials triclosan and triclocarban.
BPA, a chemical
found in plastic packaging, has been linked to obesity, cancer and childhood
anxiety and hyperactivity and has been found to mimic estrogen. BPS,
a chemical that replaced BPA because experts believed it wouldn’t leak into
drinks as much as BPA did— which later was proven wrong— has
been found to cause developmental issues in
fish embryos. BPF is another replacement for BPA.
“These alternatives [to BPA] are equally toxic, or in some
cases, more toxic,” study author Kurunthachalam Kannan, a research scientist at
the New York State Department of Health, told FoxNews.com.
Parabens are
commonly used as a preservative in teethers that are water- or gel-filled to
prevent the likely growth of microorganisms. Triclosan and triclocarban are two
of the most common ingredients found in antibacterial hand and body wash. In
September, the FDA banned some of these
antibacterial products because
they could cause long-term harm, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal
effects.
Forty-eight of the studied teethers were labeled BPA-free or
non-toxic.
The teethers, which were manufactured by 23 brands, also leached
chemicals when exposed to water, which was used to mimic saliva. Study authors
noted a German study previously measured paraben levels found in baby teethers,
but the sample only included 10 products and did not analyze chemical leaching.
The plastics industry claims the amount of BPA used in baby and
child care products does not present a health risk, but Kannan said recent
studies have suggested that even at a nanogram or microgram level, the chemical
can be harmful. Regulation is hazy, Kannan said, because the levels are still
being debated and standards are not clearly described.
The team’s findings aren’t entirely surprising, said Dr. Josef
George Thundiyil, a medical toxicologist and emergency medicine specialist at
Orlando Health, who was not involved in the study.
“If you take urine samples, about 90 percent of Americans will have
[BPA] in our bodies,” he told FoxNews.com.
In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that
BPA could no longer be used in baby bottles and sippy cups. This change was not
made for safety but because BPA was no longer deemed necessary as a food
additive, according to the FDA.
There are many substances that could be toxic at the right dose—
including water— but it’s unclear where that number lands for these chemicals,
Thundiyil said.
“What the FDA has concluded is that at current doses, this
doesn’t appear to be a danger. Where we get the most concerned is when we look
at toxicity in those that are most vulnerable— young kids and unborn fetuses,”
Thundiyil said. “The question is: Is there a safe dose for a developing child
or fetus that might be exposed to this [chemical] that might affect
development, hormonal changes, or ongoing developmental issues?”
One explanation for the lack of a recommended dosage for
children may be that it is difficult to study this particular demographic,
Thundiyil noted. Scientists have gained insight from animal studies— several
show toxicity from BPA— but whether these data apply to humans has yet to be
determined.
“There are studies that show the link between the chemical and
different outcomes, but a link isn’t always clearly established as being the
cause— that’s where the gray area lies,” he said.
Plus, since BPA was removed from baby bottles and cups, the FDA
and other organizations have no longer been able to assess a child’s lifetime
exposure because that part of the equation was removed, Thundiyil said, adding
that the study’s finding of EDCs in teething rings may lead researchers to
re-account for that exposure.
To simulate leaching of chemicals in saliva, the team immersed
each teether in 200 mL of water for an hour to mimic a child’s daily use and
measured for 26 potential EDCs.
They found that parabens were the most commonly leached, with a
range of one-tenth to one-hundreth of a nanogram. The max value measured was
2,000 nanograms.
Based on estimates of the body weight of a 12-month-old baby,
the team’s calculations suggest that levels of BPA and other regulated EDCs in
teethers were lower than those of what European regulators consider safe.
However, these thresholds are set for individual compounds, and
regulations don’t account for accumulation of multiple EDCs.
“If we’re looking at all different types of chemicals present—
several hundreds of nanograms up to a microgram— many of these chemicals have
been shown to be toxic, even at low levels of exposure,” Kannan said. “Putting
this cocktail of chemicals, even in low amounts, during critical stages of
development of many organs, can have an effect in many stages of life.”
He said research suggests multiple, environmentally mediated
diseases, including neurodevelopmental issues, diabetes and obesity, that may
result from EDC exposure.
“That’s why we’re concerned about it— the early-life exposure
and epigenetic changes that results from the EDCs can contribute to some of the
disease and development of some of these diseases later in life,” Kannan said,
referring to the study of how genes can change their expression and may
influence health outcomes.
“We should have policies limiting exposure,” he said.
Thundiyil also expressed skepticism.
“It’s always difficult proving what kind effect might occur in
combination,” Thundiyil said. “[We’re] not being exposed to chemicals in a
vacuum; we’re being exposed to chemicals along with other chemicals. It leaves
a big unknown void about the potential interaction and interplay between that
substance and another substance that child is being exposed to.”
But Thundiyil was most concerned by the fact that most of the
products analyzed in the study were labeled as BPA-free or non-toxic.
“’Non-toxic’ can be a very broad designation to state something
might have some toxin present, but not at a level that is toxic,” he said.
“Applied to a single person, that’s OK. When you take the same device and apply
it over a population, there will be those that use it infrequently, those that
use it continuously, those that might use it in ways that are unanticipated,
such as using heat to boil, which can enhance the release of [chemicals].
That’s what makes it a concern.”
“Usually when the FDA makes what we call risk assessments, they
usually build those uncertainties in it … to account for different methods of use, ages, long-term
exposure,” Thundiyil
said.
Regardless of whether we realize it, we’re all exposed to a
small amount of a variety of substances, Thundiyil said. “They’re a part
of life, what makes things function, what makes a lot of modern conveniences
work the way they do.”
Kannan said he did not think EDCs posed an immediate threat to
babies, but he suggested parents use frozen waffles as an alternative to
plastic teethers, or rinsing the teether with water to possibly help leach
possible chemicals.
Thundiyil said parents may consider limiting their children’s
use of teething rings or to use alternatives, but to be mindful of other
concrete areas of risk.
“In some ways it’s probably more important to make sure to have
your child wear a helmet for bicycling and buckle in their seatbelt,” he said.
“At the end of the day, those risks are probably higher while others exist, but
are still theoretical. It’s important not to neglect the things we know cause
injury and harm.”
The American Chemistry Council, an industry trade association,
said the study "provides very little useful information for the parents of
young children, as it focuses on the mere presence of chemicals, which parents
should be reassured does not equate with harm." In a statement emailed to
FoxNews.com, a representative noted that the organization was not aware of any
use for BPA or materials made from BPA being used in teethers.
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