Bad News for Bottles.

JUST BECAUSE A PRODUCT IS CLEAR does not mean it is pure. In a recent Consumer Reports study, heated bottles made from polycarbonate, a clear rigid plastic, were shown to leach the chemical bisphenol-A into simulated baby formula. Bisphenol-A is known to create "endocrine disruption" in lab animals by mimicking the effects of estrogen. The amount of the chemical found in the simulated formula was about 4 percent of what had caused damage in test animals. Consumer Reports states that although this exposure level may sound very low, "... safety limits for infant exposure can be set as low as 0.1 percent of the level that has adversely affected animals." In other words, a 4 percent dose of bisphenol-A could be 40 times more than a baby can safely tolerate.

The Children's Environmental Protection and Right to Know Act, introduced in May 1998 by Rep. Henry Waxman of California, would require companies to report to the government when potentially toxic substances are found in children's products. For now, we have to trust the manufacturers.

If you have any clear shiny bottles, Consumer Reports recommends disposing of them, unless the manufacturer tells you they are not made of polycarbonate. Replace polycarbonate bottles with ones made of an opaque, usually colored, less shiny plastic.

From the Consumer Product Safety Commission, here are some other products to watch out for:

* IKEA US, Inc. is voluntarily replacing the red ball pieces on the stacking ring toy MULA. The ball poses a choking hazard. Call 800-793-5408.

* Generation 2 Worldwide[R] is recalling Next Generation Pisces Cribs. The space between slats on the headboards and footboards pose an entrapment hazard. Call 800-736-1140.

"Baby Alert: New Findings about Plastics, " Consumer Products, May 1999, www.consumerreports.org