Singapore - All plastic baby bottles sold in Singapore are safe, and stores are not being asked to stop selling them, news reports said Thursday. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) gave its assurance after Toys 'R' Us voluntarily pulled the bottles from its shelves, prompted by concerns that the containers might leach a potentially toxic chemical called Bisphenol A, or BPA.
In a report a week ago, the US National Institutes of Health expressed concerns that BPA could affect brain development in infants and increase their risks of developing breast or prostate cancers later in life, The Straits Times said.
Tests conducted by the AVA showed the levels of BPA in baby bottles were within safe limits.
The AVA's safety assurances comes amid growing global worries over the safety of drink and food containers made from polycarbonate, a hard, transparent plastic produced using BPA, the report said.
The AVA suggested that worried parents minimize their infants' exposure to BPA by using lukewarm liquids instead of boiling. Bottles should be allowed to cool before milk is poured into them.
Parents can also switch to glass bottles, the AVA said.
