Nation's first BPA ban passes unanimously

Suffolk County, NY, has become the first jurisdiction in the nation to ban bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups. The county’s legislature passed the ban with a unanimous vote on Tuesday, according to a story in Newsday.

The bill’s sponsor, Steve Stern, said the intention is to protect young children from the health effects of BPA. "There are plenty of viable, cost-effective and safe alternatives," he said. The ban applies to products marketed to children younger than the age of 3.

Hundreds of scientific studies have linked BPA – a synthetic sex hormone – to health problems ranging from heart disease to breast cancer to infertility.

The chemical is used in many common products like plastic food containers and the lining of food and soda cans.

Suffolk County probably won’t stand alone on the BPA issue for long. Several states are considering BPA bans as well, including Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington.

The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t taken action on BPA, but continues to study the issue. The FDA originally declared BPA safe but was publicly embarrassed when it’s own scientific advisory panel revealed that the FDA was relying exclusively on scientific studies funded by the chemical industry, which found favorable results on BPA exposure. Canada has banned the chemical in children’s products.

Many retailers in the U.S. are ahead of government regulation on the BPA issue. Stores like Babies “R” Us and Target have eliminated baby feeding products that contain BPA.

In a poll on Newsday’s Web site, 68.1 percent of respondents approved of the action as of Wednesday morning, saying the county’s legislature is guarding children’s health.