National campaign urges government to launch a cross-government call for evidence on babies’ exposure to plastic chemicals in baby products
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A global campaign to reduce babies’ exposure to potentially toxic chemicals from plastic products during the first 1,000 days of life has been launched today, calling first on the UK Government to tackle one of the most pressing health issues facing infants.
Backed by scientists and clinicians, the campaign led by A Plastic Planet argues that regulation has not kept pace to protect health.
The first 1,000 days of life – from conception to two years old – are widely recognised by medical professionals as the most critical period of human development.
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During this time, the foundations for lifelong health are being established – such as organ formation and hormones directing growth – but evidence suggests babies are routinely exposed to chemicals associated with plastics that may hinder such development. This is through a wide range of products such as feeding bottles, pacifiers, bedding, mattresses and even before birth through placental transfer.
A 2026 study found a dummy labelled ‘BPA-free’ released the highest quantities of BPA, an industrial chemical that can interfere with the body’s natural hormone system. Even the lowest-leaching dummies exceeded safe daily limits by up to 50-fold; the worst exceeded them by 11,600-fold.
As well as dummies, infants spend 12 to 16 hours daily in contact with sheets, blankets and mattresses that can emit volatile organic compounds, phthalates and flame retardants.
Another study attributed 1.97 million preterm births in a single year (2018) to exposure to just one phthalate chemical, DEHP, alongside an estimated 74,000 deaths and nearly 6.7 million years of life lost.
Research has identified links between exposure to these endocrine-disrupting chemicals and reproductive disorders, neurodevelopmental effects, metabolic disease and hormone-related cancers.
The campaign argues that evidence is needed to bring together scientific research and healthcare expertise to determine how safer alternatives can be scaled without increasing costs for families.
Already, safe alternatives exist for many products – such as glass, stainless steel, medical-grade silicone and natural-fibre materials. However, these come with a higher price tag – something the latest campaign argues should not be the case.
In the European Union, regulators have taken further steps to restrict chemicals, such as endocrine disruptors, in products used by babies and young children. California has also prohibited bisphenols above trace levels in feeding bottles and sucking or teething products.
In the UK, legislative mechanisms are available to act, such as the UK REACH regulations and the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which allow restrictions on products such as plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers.
Following an urgent call for evidence, the latest campaign is also urging mandatory testing of chemicals included in baby products, clear labelling and phased bans of certain products such as teethers or plastic feeding bottles.
‘We ask families to make safe choices, but we surround them with almost all plastic options and don’t give them the information, transparency or affordable alternatives. It is time for government to make the plastic-free option a reality and address the plastic health crisis impacting our children,’ said visiting scientist at the University of Cambridge Dr Dolly van Tulleken.
