Looking for More Info on the DPA Baby Bottle Recall

Yes I have heard about this. It's bpa, biosphenol A. LOTS of plastic things are made with this #7 plastic. Medela has bottles that are safe, what I like about these is that their nipple size thread is universal so you can use a variety of other nipples on it. I'm using NUK and I'm buying the Medela bottles because of this...so I don't have to switch nipples too. I've seen them at Target for $5 a piece, but on babycenter.com they are cheaper. I saw "BPA free" bottles at Walmart the other day....also Born-Free is safe and glass bottles are too. Plastic has never been safe to microwave or heat up, so don't micro any food in any kind of plastic, especially #3, #6 and #7 plastic. Here is a website that I found helpful: http://www.thegreenguide.com/products/Kitchen/Plastic_Con...
Also, look at the baby food containers on the bottle for the number of plastic they come in. Most are with the bad plastic. I'm going to buy the baby food (and all other food)in glass from now on! Hope all of this helps!
B.

I second the suggestion to visit www.safemama.com. Love the site and its recommendations. Personally, if there is anything that has my childs safety in question, I'd rather be safe than sorry. We have always used glass baby bottles, or Medela ones that were BPA free. I tend to trust glass more -it's been around forever and was good enough before questionable plastics came along.

T.
www.shaklee.net/tammybristol

I haven't looked through all of the responses to see if anyone listed this site, but here you go.

http://thesoftlanding.com/shop.html

Gives you brands of bottles, sippy cups, other feeding items that are BPA Free and safe for baby.

B.,

Its bpa Which is probably why you could not find it online.
the bottles are not recalled. born free is the best. I hear gerber are Bpa free. yes brown, Advent, etc... all got levels of Bpa found in them. Even the plastic baby food.

Apr
17Bisphenol-a (BPA) Crash Course
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Dear SafeMama | 6 Comments
Trying to get up to date on all this BPA talk popping up in the news? Just saw a report on the local or national news? Ahh we feel your mounting frustration from here. Before you get that huge trashbag and barrel through your kitchen like a sleep deprived maniac, read this. Safe Mama is all about efficiency. We know you parents are tired and need the quick and dirty version, so here you go:

What is BPA? BPA or Bisphenol-a is a chemical used mostly in polycarbonate plastics (PC), which are used in: baby bottles, sippy cups, sports bottles, canned food / formula lining, and jar food lids. Greeeat. (feel my thick sarcasm?)
How do I know if something is made with PC? Flip the item over and look for a recycling symbol on the bottom. It looks like a triangle of arrows with a number between 1 - 7 in the center. Polycarbonate plastic is usually marked with a 7. It might sometimes have a PC next to it indicating polycarbonate.

Why should I avoid BPA? Bisphenol-a is a known endocrine disruptor. Meaning it has estrogenic properties which, in recent animal tests has shown to cause a bevy of health problems such as;
precancerous tumors
uro-genital abnormalities in male babies,
a decline in semen quality in males,
early onset of puberty in females,
Research is showing that when plastic containers, mostly those used to hold liquids and foods, are leeching Bisphenol into the foods and liquids they are holding. Heating food and liquids with these plastics is shown to increase the leeching of this contaminate. Bottom line: It’s icky and if you don’t want to chance it on your precious kids, there are ways to avoid it.

So, do my Avent / Dr. Browns baby bottles have BPA? If they are the traditional hard clear plastic ones that millions of people use? Most likely, YES. Want to check which bottles are not made with polycarbonate plastic (PC)? We have a growing list of bottles, sippy cups, milk storage and other items available:
BPA Free Bottles, Cups and Milk / Food Storage Cheat Sheet
BPA Free Teethers & Pacifiers Cheat Sheet
What if my item has no recycling code on it? Welcome to our hell! There is no way of knowing unless you a) Find it on the “BPA Free lists” or call the company the product is made by and ask them what kind of plastic it is. We wish it was easier than that, believe us.
We hope that helps get you started. Please, feel free to browse the site for more information using the category list, the search function or the many resources in the left sidebar. If you’ve exhausted the resources we have here and still can’t find a suitable answer, ask us. We try to answer your questions as best we can. We’re just mom’s like you, trying to fidure it all out. So hopefully we can get help each other out!

Apr
16Gov’t Program Releases New Findings on Dangers of BPA
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Leave a Comment
Well, well, well. Looks like it’s not “just a money making ploy” after all. The federal National Toxicology Program said today that rats injected with low doses of BPA developed precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems and had early puberty. Who’d a thunk it?

The federal National Toxicology Program said Tuesday that experiments on rats found precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems and early puberty when the animals were fed or injected with low doses of the plastics chemical bisphenol A.

While such animal studies only provide “limited evidence” of bisphenol’s developmental risks, the group’s draft report stresses the possible effects on humans “cannot be dismissed.” The group is made up of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the Institutes of Health. Read article…

This isn’t news to us here at Safe Mama, but we sure are glad it’s getting some real media attention.

If you’re landing here as a new visitor, please take some time to read over some of our available resources on Bisphenol-a (BPA).

We have a bevy of links on the left sidebar that will lead you to some rather useful websites and resources.
We have a handful of articles here at SafeMama.com that you can read through… like this one on How To Avoid BPA.
… and if you’re a parent going “Oh no! What bottles are safe?” Please check out our lists of BPA Free baby bottles & sippy cups, teethers and more using our handy cheat sheets. (Links to these can also be found in the upper left side of this website.)
Apr
15Health Canada to Annouce BPA Dangerous
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | Leave a Comment
I was tipped off by a reader (thanks!) that Health Canada is on the verge of announcing that Bisphenol-a is a dangerous substance.

Health Canada is expected to classify bisphenol A as a dangerous substance as early as Wednesday, which could lead to regulations on the increasingly controversial chemical.

The move would make the department the first regulatory body anywhere in the world to rule that bisphenol A (BPA) endangers people and the environment…

Canada has always been kind of a step ahead on the BPA issue, but this step, might be the catalyst we need to move in a BPA Free direction here in the US. The FDA is being accused of being selective over what research they chose to rely on in deciding the safety of BPA. I feel the pressure building… it makes me giddy.

Read the full article: Health Canada bisphenol-a announcement imminent
Other Interesting Reading: FDA Under Pressure over Bisphenol-a

Apr
9BPA in plastics featured on Today Show
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Product Safety | 9 Comments
In case you didn’t see it this morning, the Today Show featured a segment on BPA in plastics (link to video). They mostly concentrated on plastics in water bottles, recommending that you do NOT reuse regular water bottles. They also informed viewers about which recycle numbers are best to avoid.

And they strongly recommended that you stay away from plastics with #7 in them. Now we’ve been recommending that for quite a while, so it’s good to see some big media finally letting people know about BPA and its effects on people.

They only briefly touched on baby bottles, though. We wish they had gone into more detail about how BPA is harmful to children and emphasized that parents should look at bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups, and teethers. But hopefully this will get more parents to check out the plastics in their homes.

Read more

Mar
28Eden Foods Cans Are BPA Free
Filed Under Bisphenol-A | 2 Comments
I first saw this reported over at ReallyNatural.com that the food company Eden Foods does not line their canned goods with coatings that contain BPA. Instead they’ve changed their packaging to be more environmentally friendly and BPA free materials.

Eden Organic Beans are packed in lead free tin covered steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous c-enamel lining that does not contain bisphenol A (BPA). (Oleoresin is a natural mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir).

As far as I know, Eden Foods is the only canned food company using this particular BA free costing on their cans. The company is also converting their pasta packaging to all recycled cardboard materials.

Find Eden Foods near you: Eden Foods Store Locater

Feb
26Gerber Baby Food and Number 7 Plastics
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, FAQ | 12 Comments
When I started all this research business last fall I remember sitting in my mother in-laws house watching my sister in-law feed my little 6 month old niece. What should have been a peaceful act of watching my adorable niece eat Gerber pears suddenly turned to an internal question seminar when I glanced at the bottom of the Gerber plastic container. There was that #7 recycling symbol that I had been reading so much about lately. With all this BPA information fresh in my mind I immediately started to think about all the times I fed my son Gerber baby food from those handy 2 pack containers.

Later I was asked to participate on a phone call with EWG’s Sonya Lunder (read about that here) about their latest report on Bisphenol-A in baby formula. Since they were so knowledgeable on the subject I took the opportunity to ask has about baby food containers, specifically Gerber. She said she had talked with Gerber about that very thing.

The #7 recycling symbol, from what I’ve read many times over, is a “catch all” number. When a plastic is labelled with this number it typically means there are more than one type of plastic used. Sometimes there is BPA in it. Sometimes there isn’t. Researchers suggest avoiding #7 since there is no way to know if there is BPA in it or not unless you speak directly to the company.

In the case of Gerber, the plastic used for the baby food containers is made with a combination of #1 and #2 plastics. This being a combination of plastic lands the completed product in the #7 territory. In this case, there is no Bisphenol-A in the Gerber plastic baby food containers. Sonya Lunder confirmed that for me when we spoke, as well as a reader who wrote to me recently to say that she called Gerber directly. They assured her that both the baby food packs and their breastmilk storage bags (both labelled #7) are in fact BPA Free. (Thanks Kelly!)

It’s still safe to say that avoiding #7 (along with #3 and #6) plastics is a good rule of thumb since we don’t always know what materials are in #7 plastics. But if you have a product you use frequently and want to check it out, call the company and ask.

Feb
1New Bisphenol-A Study in the News
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A | 3 Comments
A new study was conducted by the University of Cincinnati recently that found Bisphenol-A (BPA) can leech into liquids when boiling water was added to polycarbonate containers. The products age having an impact over the levels of BPA was one of the primary concerns, but this new study revealed it’s the liquids temperature that has the effect. It was on ABC News on wednesday and I was tipped off by a reader of the report. (Thank you!) You can see the news report here (it’s a quick segment) for a further explanation of their findings.

It’s great that this is getting more attention in the media but more importantly, more studies are being conducted to confirm what others were worried about. My policy is “better safe than sorry” in the case of BPA so the same rules still apply with regard to plastics:

Don’t microwave foods or liquids in plastic bottles or containers
Replace worn and/or scratched plastic or switch to glass alternatives
Avoid plastic with the recycle numbers #3, #6 and #7 when possible
Study Source: Science Daily

Jan
24Interview with BornFree President Ron Vigdor
Filed Under Bisphenol-A, Interviews | 4 Comments
I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ron Vigdor, President of BornFree, LLC, who are the makers and distributors of the BornFree baby bottles and drinking cups popping up in stores such as Babies R Us, CVS and Whole Foods. BornFree’s products are all Bisphenol-A, phthalates and PVC free, right down to the higest quality medical grade silicone bottle nipples. They have taken great care in providing consumers with a safe alternative that is of the highest possible quality.

How did BornFree get started? Mr. Vigdor stated, “Several years ago, I was running an e-commerce business with my partners - my brother, Dan and our friend Gil Lemel - when we were approached with the idea of bringing BPA-Free baby bottles to a mass market. Being fathers ourselves (currently of eight children total and one on the way!) we became extremely concerned about the safety of our children, and all children, when we learned about the potentially dangerous effects of BPA-infused plastics. We realized that we could give society something worthwhile - a safe solution to feeding our children – while creating a business model. The bridge from e-commerce to baby bottles was intuitive because of our interest in how technology interacts with our daily lives and mass market.

Over the course of two years, we have expanded our business from one that started in my home, to one with distribution in Whole Foods, Babies R US, and other brick and mortar stores across the country as well as many online resellers – a growth driven by the increasing demand by parents for safe feeding options for their children. We’re now looking to grow from the BornFree™ Feeding System of baby bottles, sterilizers and training cups to a larger product line that promotes a BornFree™ lifestyle.”

Having read varying information about the plastic BornFree uses to make their bottles and drinking cups, I asked him about Polyamide, the material once used in their product line. “We’re using polymers such as PES (Polyethersulfone) which has a stronger resistance to heat so it will withstand microwaving and sterilization without any issues.”

I’ve gotten numerous emails from parents saying “This is all just a ploy to get people to spend more money.” I know my stance on that claim but I wondered what Mr. Vigdor would say to a skeptic parent. So I asked… Mr. Vigdor says, “I understand the concerns parents have about expenses. I have two kids myself and know how bottles, clothes, diapers, food all add up. The truth is that our BPA-Free bottles are just more expensive to produce. We hope this always isn’t the case, but for now, like most new technology, it is. I know it is sometimes overwhelming to know what the right thing to do for your child is. It has been shown that people most affected by BPA exposure are unborn infants and children under the age of three. So, if at all possible, why take that chance? Here is a range of products that are a safe alternative, made of the highest quality materials and we’re putting it out there as an option. It’s up to the parent to make the decision.”

As for plans to expand their product lines to other baby items he says, “We can clearly see through the past scares, that parents worry about unsafe toxins in much more than just bottles. In six months we plan to add products to all areas of baby care; from dishware and pacifiers to breast pumps and eating utensils. Eventually, we will have products like toys and clothes. BornFree™ is all about safety for our kids and for the environment. We shouldn’t limit that to just bottles.”

BornFree products are available at Babies R Us, CVS, Whole Foods and hopefully in other online retailers very soon. I’ve said this 100 times but it’s nice to see companies like BornFree sharing shelf space with the products I now look at with a jaded eye. I hope one day we can walk the aisles of baby items and not worry about what is lurking behind the plastic, but until then, we have some solice in products like BornFree who’s first priority is the safety of our children.

Jan
22Congress Investigates BPA in Baby Formula Cans
Filed Under Articles, Bisphenol-A, Product Safety | 1 Comment
Just when I started to feel like we were all doomed to just avoid BPA like the plague for all eternity and that big companies and the government could care less about what consumers want, a ray of light:

A congressional committee is launching an investigation into the use and safety of a chemical found in many children’s and infant products, including the lining of liquid infant formula cans.

It’s something. It’s better than nothing and I hope this trend continues and that our concerns are taken seriously and the research done by groups like the EWG is taken seriously too.

“There is concern in the scientific community that this chemical, bisphenol A, may be harmful both to adults and children,” Dingell said in a statement. “It would seem obvious that we would try to protect babies and infants from chemicals that may be considered dangerous to adults.”

Now if only the formula companies would stop hiding behind the FDA we’ll be in better shape. Mommy Off The Record got a letter from Similac recently and I, too, wrote to the makers of Enfamil and received a nice form letter back thanking me for my concern but assuring me I have nothing to worry my pretty little head over. I wonder if I’ll see the day that the formula companies are eating their words with a heaping spoonful of Bisphenol-A.

Next Page →
US Consumer Product Safety Commission - Recent Child-Related Product Recalls
Wal-Mart Recalls Charm Key Chains Due to Risk of Lead Exposure
Push Toys Recalled by Santa's Toy Corp. Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard
Hobby-Lobby Int'l Recalls Battery Chargers Used with Helicopters Due to Fire Hazard
Michaels Stores Recalls Seasonal Writing Pens Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard
FUNTASTIC Recalls Fake Teeth Due To Violation of Lead Paint Standard
ConsumerAffairs.Com Recalls and Safety Alerts
Chrysler Sebrings, Avengers
VW Passats
Family Dollar Magnetic Dartboards
'Little Builder' Children’s Board Book Sets
Dollar Tree Plush Insect Toys
EWG
Polluted Pets
Polluted Pets
2006 Farm Subsidies
Consumer Reports
Bisphenol A update
8 easy ways to kid-proof your kitchen
Don't buy these 5 baby products used
Toy industry attempts to rebuild consumer confidence in toy safety
Buckle up if you're pregnant
Popular Topics
article Articles baby bottles Bisphenol-A bottles bpa BPA-Free cheat sheet dioxane free eco-friendly Eco-Mama EWG FAQ food green Green Mama lead lead paint news article Non-Toxic paraben free parabens phthalate free phthalates free Phthalates Info polypropylene press Product Reviews products Product Safety propylene glycol recalls resources safemama.com shopping sippy cups Skin Care teethers tips toxic toys toy recalls toys Toy Safety toys r us win
Recent Posts
Canada Bans Polycarbonate Baby Bottles with Bisphenol-a
Safe Mama Tips to Avoid Panic and Confusion
Bisphenol-a (BPA) Crash Course
Gov’t Program Releases New Findings on Dangers of BPA
Health Canada to Annouce BPA Dangerous
Archives
Select Month April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007
Safe Mama Approved Vendors
Blogging with Moxie! Show your moxie by picking up the fun new blogging book by The Moxie Girls™!

Be enlightened and entertained with blogging basics, benefits and so much more.

Get The IT Girl's Guide to Blogging with Moxie by Joelle Reeder and Katherine Scoleri (Wiley, 2007)
Read more...
Advertise here

trust me you will find lots of info on it now hat you know the correct spelling. BPA its all very confusing.
take care,
Debbie

Fellow Safe Mama's

Help for Hosting

safemama.com is a site that is like a cheat sheet for the bottles and/or sippy cups that are made out of "bad" plastics.

We too have used the Dr. Brown bottles for over a year now and were worried about all the news related to DPA. My husband's father works for a company that creates and manufactures packaging for food corporations and we asked him about it. He said that it's in many packaging products in such small amounts that the research he has seen does not seem to support the fear the media is generating at this time related to baby bottles and DPA. He also said you would have to heat the plastic to much higher degrees than one does to warm a bottle in order for anything to be truely released from the plastic. So if you are in the camp that any amount of exposure is too much, perhaps switching bottles for peace of mind would be a good choice. I am in the camp that although I don't want the kidlets exposed to things that are bad for them, I also think the media plays up stories because we are a society that, unfortunately, seems to thrive on fear. As always, we make the best choices we can for our kids, educate ourselves as much as possible and hope for the best.

It was on NBC news about a month ago. It is basically all bottles including advent and dr. browns. You could check out the NBC 5 website. There is a "born free" brand at babys r us that is DPA free.

Hi
It is BPA, not DPA. The channel 5 news website has soon info on it. Hope this helps:)

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4683891&page=1

I saw the same thing on the news but just like your dad - only caught the last part of the news segment. I have not been able to find anything about it either. We use Playtex bottles - if you do get any info on this can you PLEASE pass it on to me. I would really appreciate it. ____@____.com

thanks,
R.

There was also a temperature limit that was unsafe, which makes the dishwasher and microwave bad choices for washing and heating. We always hand washed the bottles (gasp, right?) in hot water and heated them too in a bowl of hot water so we decided to do a temperature check and it wasn't near the hazard limit. So, this is just a suggestion so you don't have to toss out your bottles, especially if your baby is used to them.

It is all so frustrating!! I switched bottles just to be on the safe side. I didn't want to spend close to 10 bucks on Born Free bottles so I searched for a more cost effective option and I found that the new Sassy/Mam bottles are BPA free. You can get them online at Target.com and amazon.com. I am also pretty sure that I saw them at The Right Start last time I was there.

http://www.sassybaby.com/product?productid=98&product...

I do not know if there was an actual recall, but BPA is a chemical that is used to make clear, hard plastics, and when heated up, it leeches into the formula. There is some research connecting it with health problems. I was using Avent bottles (hard, clear plastic) for my two daughters, and I switched to Playtex drop-ins, the drop-in liners do not contain BPA. I cannot remeber what website I read all of this info on-it was a while ago, but if you google BPA, you should get lots of useful info! Hope this helps!

It's BPA, and Wal-Mart is voluntarily recalling plastic bottles made with BPA. As long as you don't heat the plastic itself, plastic bottles are fine. I'm a magazine writer whose written extensively on plastics and packaging. My daughter used Avent, Playtex, you name it, and she's nearly 4.

All the info below is very helpful.

I found this on the Chicago Tribune on-line this morning: Hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A, or BPA, will be pulled from stores.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-sat-nalgeneapr...

Maybe this is what your dad was referring to when he said there was a recall.

Hi B.-

It is actually BPA (bisphenol A). Dr. Browns bottles do contain this chemical as do Advent. I am using Born Free Bottles (they come in glass and BPA free plastic) which are available at Whole Foods and Right Start. You can google BPA and find lots of articles. I used Advent with my first daughter and microwaved and put them through the dishwasher-now I have major Mommy guilt because apparently doing either one can break down the plastic and the chemical can leech into the milk and can cause early puberty in girls, possible fertility problems and maybe cancer. Why this is even in bottles is the question. Who know if all babies will have these side effects, but better safe than sorry. Good Luck! Just remember to try to let go of the guilt (I'm still trying) because now that you know better...you will do better! :)

Health Canada has just banned all baby bottles with BPA (bisphenol A). They are bottles made of polycarbonate - ie the clear ones. Those made from polypropylene or polyamide are fine. The polypropylene ones are not clear. Many of the companies don't tell you what their bottles are made of. I called Gerber and found that my sippy cup is polycarbonate but the tinted bottles are ok. Avent naturally bottlesare also polycarbonate but their magic sippy cup is on the ok list. First Years seem to be polycarbonate as well. Born-free are a range made specially without BPA/polycarbonate.
i just went through my large stash of bottles and threw out my ameda, avent naturally, first years and the gerber sippy cup. If people start calling the manufacturers about what their products are made of, I am sure they will soon get the message and start making them all free of polycarbonate ie BPA.

yes it is almost all even the dr browns we bought all glass dr browns and they are great
J.

We also switched to born free with my 2nd daughter recently b/c of the recall. Dr. Brown's glass ones are OK and they are supposedly making "new" BPA free ones as my girlfriend called to ask. I think it really emits the toxins when put in a warmer or when it's heated up. Not ALL Dr. Brown's have BPA but I would choose carefully. She really won't be having a bottle too, too much long so it's your choice but for me it wasn't worth risk. I have a whole bunch of Avents and spent the money to switch. Just my opinion. Good luck!

If you put the plastic in the DISHWASHER the bpa's are leached the same as if you microwaved the plastic!!! The dishwasher drying cycle actually heats the bottle much hotter than it ever could get in the microwave.

Go Glass, be on the safe side.

Those glass bottles can take a licking too! They have fallen off of countertops and from the stroller onto the groud and not one has broken yet!

I did a bunch of research on it a while back there is a bunch of info online. I don't recall all of the types of bottles, I just know that the bottles I used for my guy were on the list...I freaked a little. But, what I remember is in addition to what your first poster said with not heating the bottles, they should also be washed in cold water (so avoid the dishwasher) and to not use an abrasive baby bottle brush because of the scratches it can cause in the bottles. I think there is a soft plastic baby bottle scrubber by Sassy (?) that you could use. I hope this helps a little. All in all, I would do a search online for Dr Browns bottles and DPA to see what information you can find.

Hi B.,

the chemical is actually BPA - from the research i've done, it's found in clear plastic baby bottles, water bottles, soda cans, canned veggies, canned fruit (they line cans with a material that contains BPA) - it's also found on dental sealants. The chemical mimics estrogen in our bodies.

Canada recently had a recall on BPA, and I believe Wal Mart has pulled all baby bottles that contain BPA from their shelves, but our FDA has not officially recalled BPA bottles.

Dr. Brown's bottles, being clear plastic may have BPA in them. you might find info at their website. I use glass bottles, because frankly they are so easy to clean... they're a bit heavier, but you take the good with the bad :)

That being said,... my kids still get their teeth sealed, and I still use canned veggies sometimes when they're not "in season"... this is a bit controversial in that the studies have conflicting results...

hope that helps...

~J.~

This is a great site that I gave all my mom friends about BPA.

http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/02/z-report-on-bpa-in-infa...

This was also information I got from one of my friends.

http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/nahbpa.pdf

The chemical is BPA and this is a fine example of the media getting us all riled up. Is the concern legit? No one knows for sure--but there are more studies just now coming out. I would personally continue to use your Dr. Brown's, but do not heat the liquid in the any bottle--this is what causes the leaching.

I don't think there is need to panic just yet, but being cautious is never a bad thing.

I asked all my friends and they hadn't heard. I thought I was going crazy but I heard it myself. I didn't hear a brand name just that they were made in China and had a level of something. I thought to myself how much we Americans really buy from these other countries where their sanitation laws are not as highly regulated as ours. I heard it on FOX t.v. You can go online and find out about it there I'm sure.

Any plastic that has a number 7 recycling symbol on it contains BPA, which is questionable in terms of safety. There is not a recall. Dr. Brown's bottles contain BPA, as do Avent and some other brands. I've gotten rid of all my Avent bottles from when my son was little, and in preparation for our next baby (coming next week) I bought glass Evenflo bottles, as well as a few BPA-free Evenflo bottles. I got them at Babies R Us - the glass ones are 6 for $9.99 and are so much cheaper than Dr. Brown's or Avent! Make sure you get the silicone nipples, rather than latex which also can leach chemicals. Good luck making the switch.