BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Rising concerns about a potentially harmful chemical commonly found in plastic baby bottles have prompted Howard health officials to encourage parents to switch to safer bottles.

“This is potentially a real public health hazard,” said Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard County’s health officer, referring to bisphenol A, known as BPA, a chemical found in many hard plastic products.

The Howard Health Department has stopped giving out baby bottles containing BPAs to clients of WIC, a federally funded program for women, infants and children.

Officials also are telling parents not to purchase plastic bottles with a 7 or 3 in the middle of the recycling triangle on the bottom. Those may have BPAs, Beilenson said.

Mounting evidence shows the negative health effects of BPAs, such as precancerous effects on breast and prostate tissues, and neurological effects such as hyperactivity, he said.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is pushing a federal ban on the chemical in products for infants and children.

Instead of pushing for legislation, Beilenson said he hoped the free market would push these plastics out of stores.

“We know there are safe alternatives,” he said.

However, some scientists and government officials contend the bottles are safe.

Consumer products contain trace levels of the chemical, said Steve Hentges of the American Chemical Council. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not recommended people stop using bottles containing BPA.

“The evidence is good enough to act to do something easy,” said Dr. Melissa McDiarmid, a University of Maryland School of Medicine professor.

Howard, which serves about 2,900 WIC clients monthly, is the only local health department taking action, Beilenson said.

The Baltimore City Health Department continues to monitor the issue, but federal oversight is needed, spokeswoman Rianne Brown said.

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com