August 12, 2008
California lawmakers are considering legislation that would place tough restrictions on chemicals used to manufacture plastic baby bottles and infant formula cans. Specifically, the measure is aimed at limited the chemical bisphenol A to only trace amounts.
Dozens of state and national environmental health organizations in the U.S. and Canada have called for an immediate moratorium on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and other food and beverage containers, based on the results of a new study that they say demonstrates the toxic chemical BPA leaches from popular plastic baby bottles when heated.
BPA, a synthetic sex hormone that mimics estrogen, is used to make hard polycarbonate plastic. Ninety-five percent of all baby bottles on the market are made with BP, according to the study.
The results of the U.S. study show that, when new bottles are heated, those manufactured by Avent, Evenflo, Dr. Brown's and Disney/First Years leached between 4.7 - 8.3 parts per billion of BPA.
Recent research on animals shows that BPA can be harmful by disrupting development at doses below these levels. The bottles were purchased at retailers across the country in nine states: Babies "R" Us, CVS, Target, Toys "R" Us, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart. Several of these retailers have since stopped carrying infant products that contain bisphenol A.
California would be the first state to institute strict limits on the chemical, and since the state is such a large market, it could prompt manufacturers to drop bisphenol A altogether.
Even so, the chemical industry says bisphenol A, used in small amount, is not harmful and has been safely used for decades. In fact, an official of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told Congress recently the chemical appears to be safe in its current applications. Dr. Norris Alderson, FDA's Associate Commissioner for Science, said there is no reason for consumers to stop using products that contain the chemical.
But California lawmakers who support the limits say they are simply following the marketplace, noting the growing number of retailers who have removed products containing bisphenol A. Several other states are said to be considering similar bans or restrictions.
