Domino effect for BPA

The momentum to ban bisphenol A (BPA) in children’s products continued to grow this week, with one commentator predicting that it would only be “a matter of a few years at most, babies living in the USA will likely be off the BPA-laced formula.”

Action at state, county and city levels built on the introduction of a federal ban on BPA last week, and recent announcements that baby bottle manufacturers would no longer use BPA in their products and BPA manufacturer Sunoco would no longer sell BPA to manufacturers using it in children’s products.

Let’s take a look at what happened with BPA this week in New York, Chicago, and Massachusetts.

New York:

Steve Levy, Executive of Suffolk County held a March 16 public hearing to discuss the legislation to ban BPA. Suffolk County became the first jurisdiction in the nation to restrict the use of BPA in children’s products when the legislature unanimously passed the law on March 3.  At the hearing, representatives from the North American Packaging Alliance threatened dire consequences from the BPA, resorting to hyperbole with the claim that the ban would create “the potential for malnutrition” for poor children.

The National Formula Council also testified against the ban.  Supporters of the Suffolk County ban include Whole Foods, breast cancer associations and other members of The JustGreen Partnership. Levy has until April 2 to sign or veto the bill.

According to a New York Times article from March 15, the chairman of the Health and Social Services Committee from neighboring Nassau County plans to introduce soon a BPA ban similar to the one passed in Suffolk County.

On the same day, a bill to impose a state ban on BPA was introduced into the New York State legislature.

Chicago:

On March 17, two Alderman from Chicago, Manny Flores and Edward Burke, reintroduced a ban on BPA in children’s products.

In February, a similar resolution was introduced but the Chicaco City Council postponed action on it until April 30, deferring to the FDA, which was holding a hearing about its plan for BPA.

Since the FDA announced it was going to study BPA for years more, Chicago Alderman Manny Flores and Edward Burke reintroduced an amended ordinance that lines up the Chicago city action with a state bill introduced last month that would ban the sale of bottles and food containers with BPA intended for children age 3 and under.

Massachusetts:

Activists organized by the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow delivered 8,490 messages from consumers to Governor Deval Patrick’s office to urge him and the state Department of Public Health to issue an outright ban on BPA in chemical products or a public health advisory urging parents to avoid BPA for children.

The state Bureau of Environmental Health has been evaluating the science on BPA and Suzanne Condon, director of the Bureau, told the Boston Globe she hoped to decide “within a few months” on an advisory; a ban would take more time. 

"It's getting to the point the weight of the evidence is so fantastic, the science isn't under dispute," said Laura N. Vandenberg, a postdoctoral fellow at Tufts Center for Regenerative & Developmental Biology, who has studied BPA.

Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey is a co-sponsor of the BPA ban in food and beverage containers introduced in Congress last week.