The chemical Bisphenol A, which has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and food-can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because of potential health effects. The Food and Drug Administration will soon decide what it considers a safe level of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), which some studies have linked to reproductive abnormalities and a heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. (See our video on BPA in plastic baby bottles.)
Now Consumer Reports’ latest tests of canned foods–including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans–found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods we tested contain some amounts of BPA. The canned organic foods we tested did not always have lower BPA levels than non-organic brands of similar foods analyzed. We even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled “BPA-free.”
The debate revolves around just what is a safe level of the chemical to ingest and whether it should be in contact with food. Federal guidelines currently put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight. But that level is based on experiments done in the 1980s rather than hundreds of more recent animal and laboratory studies indicating serious health risks could result from much lower doses of BPA.
What we foundWe tested for BPA in soup, vegetables, tuna, and other canned products as well as non-canned versions from leading manufacturers such as Campbell’s, Chef Boyardee, Del Monte, Nestlé, and Progresso, among others. Using outside laboratories, we tested three samples of each product, all bought in the New York metropolitan area or online. In all but one case, the three samples were of different lot numbers.
A 165-pound adult eating one serving of canned green beans from our sample, which averaged 123.5 ppb, could ingest about 0.2 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day, about 80 times higher than our experts’ recommended daily upper limit. And children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels comparable to the ones we found in some tested products could get a dose of BPA approaching levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies.
Given the significance of BPA exposure for infants and young children, we tested samples of Similac Advance Infant Formula and Nestlé Juicy Juice All Natural 100% Apple Juice. Samples of the Similac liquid concentrate in a can averaged 9 ppb of BPA, but there was no measurable level in the powdered version. Samples of the Nestlé Juicy Juice in a can averaged 9.7 ppb BPA, but there were no measurable levels in the samples of the same product packaged in juice boxes.
Although BPA levels in that canned juice were not among the highest in the foods we tested, canned juice can account for a substantial amount of dietary BPA exposure in children who drink a lot of it. Drinking three servings per day of canned apple juice with BPA levels comparable to the levels found in our samples could result in a dose of BPA that is more than our experts’ daily upper limit.
Learn more details about Consumer Reports’s BPA test findings, as well as tips for what consumers can do to avoid BPA.
My son started kindergarten this fall, and thus far the three R’s have taken a backseat to the two H’s. Hygiene and Hand-washing have been the subject of several school-day discussions, coloring projects, and videos. And this cleanliness curriculum has made an impression, with my son now lathering up before meals—without any prompting.
Of course, kindergarteners aren't the only ones being schooled in hand-washing and germ-control these days, as public health officials are urging us all to take steps to stem the spread of swine flu. A recent survey suggests such efforts may be making a difference, as more Americans are embracing good hand hygiene this year than last.
As my 5-year-old will tell you, good hand-washing is something everyone should do to stay healthy—and he'd also be happy to demonstrate proper technique. But in case you don't have an eager kindergartener at hand, here's a how-to video as well as some advice from the CDC:
Read the full Health blog post.
Also see Is the swine flu vaccine safe? and Tips for keeping your child healthy at daycare or preschool for related information.
Outlet cover choking hazard. A concerned grandfather wrote to us recently to say that the family of his "toddler granddaughter" had been given some animal-shaped outlet covers that he suspected were more of a hazard than an effective childproofing device. The multi-colored plastic plugs "certainly would seem to be attractive to a toddler," he wrote. Read the full Safety blog post.
Fewer toy recalls, more child injuries. The Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission recently hailed the significant reduction in toy recalls this year. But the CPSC's annual report showed that there were 172,700 toy-related injuries that sent children under 15 to the nation's emergency rooms in 2008, the highest injury level since 2001. Read the full Safety blog post.
What’s the better family car? "I'm trying to decide between buying a Camry or an Accord, which would you recommend for a family or four with two young children in car seats?" Find out our answer in the Cars blog family sedan chat transcript.
School lunch makeover. Having lived through school lunches of chicken fried steak with cream gravy and mashed potatoes, I realize that many school cafeterias have made some strides. But placing a largely ignored bowl of apples at the end of the line does little. Read the full Health blog post.
Despite risks, teens report texting while driving. A new study shows that a quarter of American teens have texted while driving—dangerous behavior for a group that statistically, already carries significant risks when behind the wheel. Read the full Cars blog post.
By 3 years old, children start interacting with each other and engaging in pretend play. They enjoy acting out grown-up roles and using props such as costumes to bring their imaginations to life.
Suggested toysElectronic toys that convert your TV or PC into a learning/interactive play site, nontoxic art supplies, books, videos, musical instruments, and outdoor toys such as a baseball tee, slide, or swing.
For related information, see our other reports:
Playtime can get messy starting at 1 year old, when children begin to take an interest in emptying, transferring, and rearranging their environment. Filling and dumping are organizing skills that help your toddler to experience how things work and relate to each other. Stacking toys, which kids younger than 1 might enjoy, continue to be fun for kids this age. Starting about 12 months, your baby might also begin walking. From 2 to 3 years old, playing actively and testing physical skills by jumping, climbing, and throwing is the name of the game. Toddlers this age also like using their expanding hand-eye coordination to work with basic arts and crafts, blocks, and simple puzzles.
Suggested toysThose that encourage your child's budding ambulatory skills, including blocks, books, fit-together toys, push-and-pull toys, pounding and shape toys, fill-and-spill sets, and balls. To bath time, add spoons, a plastic pitcher, measuring cups, and plastic cups to encourage filling and dumping skills without a mess. Toddlers and preschoolers also love ride-on toys and starter tricycles. For more information, see our report on Tricycles, ride-on toys, and scooters.
See best toys for newborn to 3-month-old babies, best toys for babies 4-10 months old, and best toys for babies 9 months to 1 year old for more buying advice.
Starting at about 9 months, babies play by shaking, banging, throwing, and dropping toys. They enjoy searching for hidden objects, taking objects out of containers, and poking their fingers into holes. Your baby will be able to grasp objects with her fingers and put one object on top of or into another, such as a ball into a box. Stacking and nesting are another way babies develop eye-hand coordination and learn about spatial relationships. Sorting helps babies to understand the relationships among objects—how they fit together and spatially relate to one another and how they differ in size and shape.
Suggested toysLightweight balls, nesting and stacking blocks or cups with rounded edges, pop-up toys that require sliding, toggling, pulling, and turning, squeeze and bath toys, soft dolls, puppets, and baby books, musical toys, and toy telephones and push-pull playthings.
See best toys for newborn to 3-month-old babies and best toys for babies 4-10 months old for more buying advice.
Stroller hinge mechanisms—the joints on the sides that allow the stationary parts of the stroller to pivot and permit the stroller to fold—have been in the news since the November 9, 2009 recall of 1 million Maclaren umbrella strollers. The recall was prompted by 12 reports of children’s fingertips being amputated when their fingers became caught in the strollers’ hinge mechanisms. But like other strollers bearing the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) certification logo, the Maclaren models all meet current voluntary stroller standards. (Read what does the JPMA certification logo really mean?)
So what happened? The standards for stroller hinges apply to the product when it is in a locked, open position—not when it’s actually being opened or closed. According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall notice, the Maclaren strollers’ hinge mechanism poses a hazard when the stroller is being unfolded or opened.
In general, strollers present risks to young children. In 2008 alone, strollers were responsible for an estimated 12,400 injuries to children under age 5—more than any other baby product—according to the CPSC. The leading cause of all baby product injuries were falls, and the head was most frequently injured. But with the recent Maclaren recall, fingertip safety is now being brought to light.
To rate strollers at Consumer Reports, many of our tests are based on the voluntary standards created by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)-International. Among other safety checks, our engineers check hinges and other parts of the strollers—once they’re in an open, locked position—for the following criteria:
• Scissoring, pinching and shearing: The propensity of the stroller’s parts to close up like the blades of a scissor and cause a pinch or shear off an extremity, like a finger.
• Sizes of openings: Any openings within the hinges or other stroller parts should be small enough to prohibit small extremities from fitting inside their inner workings.
• Exposed coil springs: Any spring-loaded hinge mechanisms or other springs (such as those for suspension systems) should have some means of keeping the spring inaccessible to prevent pinching or worse.
• Static load: The stroller’s ability to remain open and locked when a weight is placed within it, and for the hinges to remain in a locked position.
• Latch mechanism: The stroller latch mechanisms should be secure enough to prevent the stroller from unintentionally folding.
To keep tragedies like finger amputations from occurring, the standards for strollers need to be strengthened, according to Don Mays, Consumers Union’s senior director of Product Safety and Technical Policy. While children should be kept away from a stroller when it’s being opened or closed, there should be safeguards in place to anticipate those occurrences. At ASTM-International’s next stroller committee meeting in March 2010, Mays and other Consumers Union staffers plan to help strengthen the standard to address hinge safety while the product is being folded and unfolded.
In the meantime, Consumer Reports’ engineers are working to strengthen our own test protocols to evaluate risks such as these, even when industry standards are lacking. Parents can also keep their kids safe by making sure young children are out of reach when opening or closing any stroller. (For more stroller safety advice, see Safety tips: 7 stroller mistakes and how to avoid them.)—Artemis DiBenedetto
By 4 to 10 months of age, babies can reach for and grasp objects, move them from one hand to the other, and play with their feet. They'll search for the source of sounds.
Suggested toysA take-off on overhead mobiles, activity gyms feature charming, brightly-colored floor and hanging detachable toys that make sounds, play music, and have tantalizing textures. Some might include unbreakable, embedded mirrors, a definite plus. Like rattles and play keys, activity gyms help babies to explore their environment through their senses of sound, touch, sight, and taste. Their fine-motor skills get a tune-up when they bat, reach, and grab for toys. And if you place your baby in a gym on his tummy ("tummy time"), you'll help develop his posture and neck strength, a prerequisite for crawling and other physical skills.
Babies of this age also tend to enjoy soft balls with sounds inside, musical toys, washable baby books, and toys with flaps or lids that can be opened and closed. They'll still be fascinated by rattles, and the more their pickup skills develop, the more they'll reach for and play with them.
See best toys for newborn to 3-month-old babies for more buying advice.
Babies are born with natural curiosity and gather information about the world through their senses. Babies enjoy looking at the world around them—lights, shapes, patterns, and colors. At about 3 months, they begin to swipe at objects and might try to reach for them.
Suggested toysRattles and play keys with high-contrast colors that make interesting noises, and musical crib mobiles with bright, primary-color objects or patterns that stimulate your baby's sense of sight. But keep toys out of the crib. Mobiles can be suspended near or above the crib as long as they're safely mounted. Mobiles are safest near the foot of the bed, where they can't fall on a child. Remove the mobile when your baby can push up on his hands and knees, at about 6 months.
Babies can see bright colors and shapes of rattles and play keys (for babies younger than 4 months, the toy should be any combination of red, black and white—the colors this age group sees best), feel their smooth or nubby texture, hear their rattling or clinking sound, and mouth them, which stimulates brain development.
