Could we be inadvertently poisoning ourselves while trying to do the green thing? Since a parent-run national Web site raised the alarm this summer, many parents have started replacing plastic baby bottles and youth sports water bottles to make sure they are free of the compound bisphenol A, or BPA.

The recent release of two conflicting reports on BPA has brought the issue to the headlines. Dozens of studies over the years have shown that the chemical, in use since the 1930s, can damage the reproductive systems of rats, mice and other laboratory animals.

Another panel of about a dozen scientists concluded that while BPA presents “some concern” for developing reproductive systems in fetuses, babies and children, the overall health risk is “negligible.”

Parents particularly worry about hard plastic baby bottles, making glass baby bottles sought-after items. “Lots of moms are talking about it,” said Christine Kern Steffen of Madison, Wis., who teaches yoga to pregnant women and mothers of newborns. “That one is definitely a hot issue.”

One mother considering a switch to glass bottles is Kari Oberloh, whose son, Nolan, 8 months, had to switch from breast milk to formula when he was 3 months old. She also gave up her own plastic water bottle in favor of a stainless steel container and is thinking hard about plastics in general.

Industry reps say it’s all political. “Environmental groups have been drumming up interest,” says Steven G. Hentges, executive director of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group, American Chemistry Council.

Hentges says BPA has been recognized as safe for use by numerous government bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.K. Food Standards Agency, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Japanese Ministry for Health, Labor and Welfare as well as other regulatory agencies around the world.

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Nevertheless, mother of two Robin Nathan says she believes plastic containers, especially when heated for baby formula or other purposes, could leach chemicals into food or drink. “We already place a high priority on what we put into our bodies,” Nathan says. “Is it worth it? Who knows? We err on that side.”

Clark and Seely are reporters for the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison. Contact: aclark@madison.com, rseely@madison.com.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Here are some ways to avoid potentially harmful chemicals in plastics:

• If you own hard plastic water bottles that are labeled #7 on the bottom, wash them by hand with mild dishwashing soap instead of in the dishwasher to avoid degrading the plastic and increasing the leaching of BPA.

• Get rid of plastic bottles that are starting to show cracks or are becoming cloudy.

• Use glass baby bottles or plastic bag inserts, which are made of polyethylene, or switch to polypropylene bottles that are labeled #5 and come in colors that are milky rather than clear.

• Choose soups, milk and soy milk packaged in cardboard “brick’’ cartons by Tetra Pak and SIG Combiblock, which are made of safer layers of aluminum and polyethylene #2 and are also recyclable.

• Choose canned foods from makers who don’t use bisphenol A.

• Eat fresh foods in season and save the canned foods for convenience or emergencies.

• Buy or can your own fruits and vegetables in safe glass jars.

Source: National Geographic Green Guide