Urgent warning to parents as scientists discover a chemical linked to low sperm count, obesity and cancer in baby DUMMIES

Toxic chemicals linked to low sperm count, obesity, and cancer have been found in baby dummies, a new study has warned.

According to an analysis by Czech consumer group dTest, pacifiers produced by three big European brands all contain bisphenol A (BPA).

Dummies produced by the Swiss oral health firm Curaprox, the French toy brand Sophie la Girafe, and the Dutch health technology giant Philips were all found to leak some amount of the toxic chemical.

This was despite all three brands labelling the dummies as either 'BPA free' or 'natural rubber'.

BPA is an industrial chemical used to add durability to plastics that can leach out over time when exposed to saliva and heat, entering the bloodstream through the mouth.

Chloe Topping, a campaigner with Chem Trust, who was not involved in the research, told Daily Mail: 'BPA is able to de-rail the chemical messenger system in the body by mimicking or disrupting oestrogen and other hormones.

'Babies and young children are especially vulnerable to the impacts of EDCs because their organs and nervous systems are still developing, which entails complex processes highly sensitive to disruption.'

Curaprox has withdrawn the products and offered customers refunds, while Sophie la Girafe and Phillips have contested the study's results and are still offering the affected dummies for sale.

dTest purchased 19 dummies from shops in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary, as well as two from the online marketplace Temu, manufactured by the Chinese firm Foshan City Saidah Baby Products.

To simulate the conditions inside a baby's mouth, each dummy was placed in an artificial saliva solution for 30 minutes and heated to 37°C (98.6°F).

The solution was then collected and analysed to see how much, if any, BPA the saliva contained.

In total, three pacifiers from European brands and one produced by Foshan City Saidah were found to contain BPA.

The worst offender was the Curaprox 'baby grow with love soother', which contained 19 micrograms of BPA per kilogram.

This is almost double the legal limit of 10 micrograms per kilogram of BPA set out by the EU.

The second-highest concentrations were found in the Sophie la Girafe 'natural rubber' dummy, which contained three micrograms of BPA per kilogram.

The researchers also found BPA in a concentration of two micrograms per kilogram in the Philips Avent Ultra Air Soothe.

While BPA is known to harm human health, the toxic chemical is especially harmful for young children.

By disrupting the hormonal system, BPA interferes with normal development, leading to a weakened immune system, an increased risk of obesity and diabetes, low sperm count and infertility later in life, and a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease.

Studies have also shown that there is substantial evidence that BPA impairs brain development, leading to an increased risk of conditions such as ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

However, while these findings are concerning, the researchers insist that there is no cause for panic.

Hana Hoffmannová, editor in chief of dTest, told Daily Mail: 'These findings do not warrant alarm. The majority of tested pacifiers had no detectable bisphenols, and where BPA was detected, levels were generally low.

'Parents may continue everyday use while applying practical, low burden steps: replace pacifiers regularly, inspect before each use, and maintain proper hygiene.'

Curaden, which manufactures the Curaprox products, immediately withdrew the products after being informed of the results and offered customer refunds.

In a statement provided to The Guardian, Curaden said: 'Out of an abundance of caution and in line with our commitment to quality, Curaden immediately decided to proactively remove the soothers [from affected batches] from the market and to offer refunds to all affected customers.'

Vulli, the manufacturer of the Sophie la Girafe products, told Daily Mail: 'Unfortunately, the brand was not consulted that any tests were taking place, and we have had no advice on product or batch numbers tested. Nor have we received any official analysis report associated with this statement, which makes it impossible to assess its reliability.

'The pacifier mentioned in the article is an old product that is no longer available and recalling test reports show no traces of Bisphenol A.'

Likewise, Philips says that it has conducted its own tests and found no detectable BPA levels across its range of dummies.

In a statement provided to The Guardian, a spokesperson says: 'We want to reassure our soother ranges are BPA-free throughout the entire manufacturing process, and we regularly conduct randomized tests and other quality controls to meet regulatory requirements to check and confirm this.

'Following news about the Philips Avent SCF085/60 soother, we have checked our results and conducted further tests with DEKRA, the world's largest independent, testing, inspection and certification expert organization. 

'These tests also confirm no detectable BPA across our soother ranges, including the sample tested, and validated that they are BPA-free.'

Fonsham City Saidah did not respond to Daily Mail's request for comment.

BPA has already been completely banned from babies' bottles in the EU since 2011, as well as in food containers and bottles for children under three since 2018.

The current regulations, known as the EN 1400 standard, limit BPA migration from dummies into saliva at 10 micrograms per kilogram.

However, there are currently no specific rules outlawing the presence of BPA in dummies.

Ms Hoffmannová adds: 'From our perspective, the main problem is the lack of harmonised EU legislation that specifically bans BPA in pacifiers.

'Some Member States - such as France and Austria - already prohibit BPA in pacifiers, resulting in uneven protection across the single market.'