Seattle mom Christine Hanna didn't relish the thought of Bisphenol-A leaching from her baby's bottle into his morning meal. As an employee at the Sightline Institute, a non-profit environmental think tank, she felt perturbed at the chemicals in "all kinds of products that babies drink and eat from, mouth, and sleep on."

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is added to clear polycarbonate plastics to make them shatterproof, but the National Toxicology Program says that it may cause "neural and behavioral effects" in infants and children. Due to pressure from powerhouses like San Francisco and the entire nation of Canada, retailers like Wal-Mart are planning to remove BPA-laden bottles, pacifiers and other tasty supplies from shelves, according to this story.

So where can you purchase safer plastics in Seattle? First, it helps to know which brands are BPA-free, so check out Z Recommend's pocket guide. If you're at the store and overwhelmed, text-message Z Recommends with the manufacturer and they'll send you a status list for the product line. Hanna also uses the site Safe Mama to research her son's toys and teethers.

Or, like Hanna, head to The Peapod for a BPA-free bottle -- she says her son prefers the MAM bottle. Tottini, Right Start, Birth and Beyond and all PCC Natural Markets and Whole Foods Markets provide BPA-free options. The Lynnwood Babies R Us stocks four varieties of old-school glass baby bottles. Birth and Beyond will receive a glass bottle shipment later this month.

Then again, the FDA insists that BPA is safe, as does the plastics industry. What do you think?

E-mail Lora at littlekidsbigcity@nwsource.com; see past articles on the index page.

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