Researchers in the United States have tested five dozen baby teethers. They found that all of them contained bisphenol-A (BPA) and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals which are harmful to babies.
Studies in animals have shown that endocrine disruptors interfere with hormones and cause developmental, reproductive and neurological harm. As a result, the European Commission in 2011 restricted the use of BPA in baby bottles.
The United States followed suit a year later, banning it from baby bottles and also from children's drinking cups. But they didn't know it still exists in baby teethers not until after the recent study was conducted, CBS News said.
The researchers noted that while most of the teethers they tested were labeled Bisphenol A (BPA) -free or non-toxic, all of them contained BPA. In addition, the teethers contained a range of parabens and the antimicrobial agents like triclosan and triclocarban, which are also endocrine disruptors.
Baby teethers are used to soothe babies' gums when their teeth start coming in, typically between three and seven months of age. Because babies suck on teethers, the presence of potentially harmful chemicals on the surface is worrying, especially since the researchers claim that BPA and other chemicals "leached out" of the teethers into water.
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at the American Chemical Society analyzed 59 baby teethers commonly sold in the United States. They 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.
According to Science Daily, Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in plastic packaging. It has been linked to obesity, cancer, 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, was later proven wrong as it has been found to cause developmental issues in fish embryos.
