BPA exposure harming unborn babies, infants: Study
Pregnant women could be harming their unborn babies by drinking or eating from plastic that contains a common chemical.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is banned in many countries overseas, and now scientists in Geelong say they can prove it puts children at risk.
Jackie Jackman is seven-months pregnant.
She has been doing everything right to have a healthy newborn...or so she thought.
Everyday, she drinks from a plastic bottle, but something so simple could be harming her baby.
In a world first, scientists at Deakin University have discovered that if a pregnant woman uses bottles and containers that contain poisonous industrial chemical BPA - she could be passing it to her unborn baby.
"It scares me, it makes me worry," she told 7News. "You're doing all these things to be healthy and safe and then there's another thing you have to worry about - to be honest I did not know about it."
Dr Yaan Gibert, of Deakin University, said: "It has been shown that exposure during foetal development or early life could have repercussions later in life, and that is two-fold obesity, type two diabetes, as well as issues with the reproductive system or even breast cancer in the female."
BPA is so toxic China, Malaysia, Canada and parts of Europe and the US has banned its use.
In Australia, it is still officially considered safe in small amounts, but that is not so say some of our experts.
"Ban it at least for baby bottles and sippy cups, at least babies and infants will be protected," said Dr Gibert.
With just six weeks until Jackie meets her baby, she won't be taking any risks.
"It's the most important thing in the world to me having a baby and looking after this baby completely, so I'll be onto this BPA thing for a very long time," she said.
