Bisphenol-A Baby Bottles Ban Rejected

The Californian Senate has thrown out a bill that wanted to ban the use of bisphenol-A (BPA) in packaging for baby bottles and infant food packaging.

A closed vote of the Senate defeated Bill SB797, which wanted to ban BPA from food packaging, baby bottles or sippy cups for children aged three and under by January 1, 2012 and infant formula containers by July 1, 2012. Bill SB797 was presented to the Californian Senate in July 2009, leading to more than a year of legislative wrangling before being passed by the State Assembly in July 2010. However to gain ratification it needed to be approved by the Senate, and the final ballot saw the Bill defeated by 19 votes to 18, meaning BPA is still able to be used in California.

Seven US states have all recently passed legislation preventing the use of BPA, and this week Canada became the first country to add BPA to its register of toxic substances, although it has not been prohibited there.

Bisphenol-A

Bisphenol-A is used in the manufacture of polycarbonate baby bottles and the linings of food and beverage cans. Studies have claimed there are health risks associated with exposure to the substance and this week a study by Pennsylvania University and the University of Exeter (UK) concluded, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, claimed that there is a correlation between exposure to BPA and higher levels of testosterone.

The decision to throw out the Bill was welcomed by trade associations but attracted condemnation from supporters of the Bill including its sponsor, Democrat Senator Fran Pavley. They accused the Senate of pandering to business interests. "Once again we see children's health sacrificed to the cold altar of money and influence," said Renée Sharp, director of Environmental Working Group. Pavley went further, accusing industry of waging a dirty tricks campaign. She alleged that industry lobbyists had told lawmakers that alternative packaging without BPA wasn't available and a ban on BPA would cause a formula shortage.

Trade body the American Chemistry Council (ACC) welcomed the vote. Steven G. Hentges, executive directive of the ACC's Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group, commented: "Decisions regarding the safety of food-packaging materials should be made by regulatory experts based on the best available information and solid scientific evaluation. In its statements in January of 2010, the FDA reiterated that BPA is not proven to harm adults or children, but the agency called for more research and we support the FDA's (Food and Drug Administration) ongoing review of BPA."