The result of a new study shows that there’s a good chance your baby’s teether is leaching small amounts of potentially harmful chemicals. According to the researchers who published their findings last week in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science and Technology journal, placed 59 teethers in water for an hour and then tested the water for 26 hormone-disrupting chemicals.
They found all of the teethers leached Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical banned in baby bottles and sippy cups. Many also seeped parabens and antimicrobial agents including triclosan and triclocarban, which the federal government recently banished from hand and body washes.
And they told us that most of the teethers were labeled “BPA-free” and “non-toxic.”
These chemicals is linked to developmental, reproductive and neurological problems, as well as obesity, cancer, and childhood anxiety and hyperactivity, among other health concerns.
The amount of chemicals released by the teethers fell below current regulatory limits. But those limits weren’t set with babies in mind and they don’t take into account the potential effect of exposure to multiple chemicals over a period of time, lead researcher Kurunthachalam Kannan with the New York State Department of Health told CBS News.
So what’s the parent of a teething baby to do? Here are some natural teething remedies:
• Give your child a cold washcloth chilled in the refrigerator (not freezer) to chew on
• Rub a clean finger gently but firmly over your baby’s sore gums to temporarily ease the pain.
• If your baby is old enough to eat solids, he may get some relief from cold food such as applesauce or yogurt.
• Give him a hard, unsweetened teething biscuit, such as zwieback, to gnaw on..Just keep an eye on him and be mindful of choking.