Update:
Breaking News – BPA Banned in Minnesota
Yesterday morning, Minnesota’s governor, Tim Pawlenty (R) signed landmark legislation, the first statewide prohibition on the use of the toxic plastics chemical Bisphenol-A, or BPA, in baby bottles and sippy cups. The prohibition will go into effect January 1, 2010.
BPA, a toxic hormone disruptor found in bottles and sippy cups, as well as infant formula, canned foods and food packaging, is linked to a growing list of serious health problems, including cancer. Recent studies find BPA exposure during early life may permanently alter the developing brain and reproductive systems, and the National Toxicology Program within the U.S. National Institute of Health has raised concerns about the safety of children’s exposures to the chemical.
California and Connecticut are poised to consider similar measures in the next week.
As the scientific evidence continues to mount in favor of restricting the chemical’s use, many retailers and manufacturers have responded. Within the last year, mega retailers like Wal-Mart and Toys R’ Us have announced they would stop selling baby bottles made with BPA. The water bottle manufacturer Nalgene and several of the nation’s largest baby bottle makers are phasing BPA out of their products. Even the petro-chemical giant Sunoco has promised that it would no longer allow any of the BPA it makes to be used in items designed for children 3 and under.
Last week, the Connecticut House of Representatives approved HB 6572 a landmark bill to phase out the hormone disruptor Bisphenol-A (BPA) from children’s food and beverage containers. BPA has been linked to many chronic diseases and disorders, including obesity, diabetes, breast and prostate cancers, and behavior problems. With the Food and Drug Administration still asleep at the wheel, and new evidence about BPA’s toxicity coming out every week, people from around the state are working to make Connecticut a model for more protective chemical policies.
A vote in the Connecticut Senate on HB 6572 to phase out BPA from food and beverage containers is imminent. With the recent 128 to 14 vote in favor of the bill in the House, lobbyist for the plastics and chemical industries are descending on the state capitol in droves in an effort to weaken or stall the legislation in the Senate.
Please send an e-mail to your State Senator and urge him or her to co-sponsor and support HB 6572 to phase out BPA.
