Washington: BPA bill dead in Senate

Washington State has lost its opportunity to be the first state to ban bisphenol A from children’s products. Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson told the Associated Press that the bill has died in the Senate.

The bill had strong support in the House, where it passed with a vote of 76-21. The bill would have banned BPA from baby bottles and other food and drink containers intended for use by children under the age of 4.

The bill had strong opposition from the chemical industry, despite the fact that one major BPA manufacturer has already announced it will no longer sell to companies who intend to use the chemical in products for young children.

Many major retailers no longer sell children’s food and drink containers containing BPA, including Target, Babies ‘R Us and Wal-Mart. Six major baby bottle manufacturers also announced recently they will no longer use BPA in their products.

These steps forward don’t guarantee Washington children won’t be exposed to BPA, however. Plenty of smaller manufacturers and retailers have made no commitment to get BPA out of products or off the shelves.