Don’t heat baby’s food in plastic dish, docs warn

A recent report indicates that using plastic containers to store or heat food in microwaves could pose a potential health risk to children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is calling for reforms after a report suggested that some chemicals found in food colorings, preservatives and packaging material might pose a risk to children, according to report in the August 2018 issue of Pediatrics titled “Food Additives and Child Health.”

The report cities “an increasing number of studies” that suggest certain food additives can disrupt hormones, growth and development, as well as increase the chances of childhood obesity.

“There are critical weaknesses in the current food additives regulatory process, which doesn’t do enough to ensure all chemicals added to foods are safe enough to be part of a family’s diet,” Dr. Leonardo Trasande, author of the policy statement, said in a news release. “As pediatricians, we’re especially concerned about significant gaps in data about the health effects of many of these chemicals on infants and children.”

The most concerning artificial additives, the report explains, are BPAs found in plastic containers and metal cans.

Because heat can result in plastics leaking BPA, parents are urged to avoid using microwaves to warm food and beverages or placing plastics in the dishwasher.

The U.S. government allows the use of more than 10,000 additives to preserve and package— or modify the taste, appearance, texture or nutrients — in foods. Many were grandfathered in for approval during the 1950s, and about 1,000 additives are used under a “Generally Recognized as Safe” designation process that doesn’t require FDA approval.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has demanded a more rigorous and transparent designation process, including new requirements for toxicity testing before use in the marketplace and additional testing for previously approved chemicals.

“Retesting is most important for the chemicals with increasing evidence of risks, but also those with safety data based on outdated testing methods or animal studies,” pediatrics association leader Dr. Jennifer Lowry said in the news release.

Lowry said a recent evaluation of nearly 4,000 food additives determined 64 percent had no research showing they were safe for people to eat or drink.

Children are more sensitive to chemical exposure “because they eat and drink more relative to body weight than adults do,” the report states.

“Despite a tough political climate, there is an urgent need for decision makers to fix this issue,” Trasande said.