How do I know if my silicone is BPA-free?

What is BPA and why should I worry about it?

You may wonder — what does BPA stand for? Short for Bisphenol-A, BPA is an industrial-grade chemical that’s been used in the production of plastics and various resins since the dawn of the plastic industry boom in the 1950s. One of its greatest dangers to consumers lies in packaging, namely the BPA in plastic water bottles and a variety of food containers such as the linings of metal cans. This BPA can, and does, seep into the food and beverages inside the packaging. And the science on this is settled: BPA is bad.

BPA exposure possibly can affect the brain, the prostate gland of fetuses, infants, and children, and it might increase blood pressure, according to the Mayo Clinic. The same article does state, however, that U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) testing shows BPA to be safe at the low levels sometimes found in foods.

All BPA-Free Products Are Not Equal

Products that are BPA-free do not contain any traces of Bisphenol-A. As concerns regarding the safety of BPA and its ability to leach into foods and beverages have grown, many manufacturers have committed to making BPA-free products. 

BPA-free means you’re safe, right?

Not so fast. You might want to be wary of BPA-free plastics. You may come across a plastic product in a store that’s labeled BPA-free and assume that it’s safe since it doesn’t contain dangerous chemicals. But maybe not. The BPA substitutes that manufacturers of plastics use can be just as harmful to human health.

What is Bisphenol-A getting replaced with?

As the evidence of the dangers of BPA has become more clear over the past decade, some manufacturers have moved to substitute BPA with BPS: Bisphenol S. But this close cousin of BPA maybe even worse! Studies on BPS have shown that it can have serious detrimental effects on human health and may be linked to obesity issues, reproductive defects, and even cancer.   

Now that you understand the true BPA-free meaning, the wise choice is to steer clear of Bisphenol-A; BPA is best left in the past. Instead, look to the future of silicone products and silicone molds.

Is Silicone BPA-free?

Silicone rubber combines synthetic and chemical elements, making it unique and durable. The key ingredient in silicone is silicon. Silicone is made by combining this element with oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. This combination results in a material resistant to heat and cold and flexible and non-toxic.

Silicone, not to be confused with silicon (a naturally occurring substance and the second most abundant element on Earth after oxygen) is a man made polymer created by adding carbon and/or oxygen to silicon.

Because it is malleable, soft, and shatterproof, it is surging in popularity.  The FDA has approved it, “as a food-safe substance” and it can now be found in numerous baby bottle nipples, plates, sippy cups, baking dishes, kitchen utensils, mats and even toys.

Silicone is rubber-like material composed with silicon, oxygen and carbon. Silicone is non-reactive, stable and can stand for extremely high and low temperatures. Above all, silicone is non-toxic and safe to use, widely adopted for medical applications. Perhaps it’s owing to higher manufacturing costs of using it for feeding bottles when compared to PC plastics, it’s seldom considered for being the material for making feeding bottles.

Jution Silicone has been researching how to improve the safety and quality of baby products for years. Equipped with an advanced technology “twin-shot injection molding”, Jution Silicone successfully designed and produced silicone feeding products that would be of ultra-wide neck, breast-like shape, anti-colic-vent, and most importantly could allow the content (whatever milk or water) to be in contact with silicone only, without touching plastics. And unlike other brands on the market, Jution Silicone baby products and Teat are produced as a one-piece structure without using any adhesives, safeguarding babies from potentially toxic chemicals… being the first of its kind.

How do I know if my silicone is BPA-free?

Conclusion

Now that you understand the true BPA-free meaning, the wise choice is to steer clear of Bisphenol-A; BPA is best left in the past. Instead, look to the future of silicone baby products and silicone molds.