Citing safety concerns, chemical maker restricts BPA sales

Stating that there is an "insufficient" margin of safety for use of bisphenol A (BPA) in children's products, Sunoco has become the first chemical manufacturer to voluntarily take a step to protect children from the health effects of BPA.

Sunoco now requires customers to guarantee that BPA will not be used in food or water containers in products intended for children under 3 years old. "We will no longer sell BPA to customers who cannot make this promise,"  Sunoco wrote in a letter to shareholders. 

Sunoco's BPA policy has vaulted a chemical manufacturer into a leadership position on the issue by distancing itself from the FDA, which has taken no action to protect children from the harmful effects of BPA exposure.

Sunoco's policy, in effect since November 2008, is based on the FDA Science Board's determination that an insufficient margin of safety exists for BPA in food and water contact applications for infants.  The Associated Press reports the move was motivated by safety concerns about BPA, "which recently led retailers like Wal-Mart to pull thousands of baby and water bottles off store shelves."

Sunoco's policy also represents a break with the position of the chemical industry trade association, the American Chemistry Council, which has been lobbying both state and federal governments to defeat proposed legislation that would limit the use of BPA in children's products as well as food and water containers.

In a February 12, 2009 letter to Tom McCaney, Associate Director for Corporate Social Responsibility, Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, and Emily Stone, Shareholder Advocate at Green Century Capital Management, Sunoco Manager for Media and Public Relations Thomas P. Golembeski wrote:

"In light of the FDA Science Board Subcommittee's view that an 'insufficient' margin of safety possibly exists for BPA in food- and water-contact applications for infants, Sunoco voluntarily established a new policy regarding the sale of BPA to customers. We now require customers to guarantee that BPA manufactured by Sunoco is not being used in food- and water-contact applications for children under three years of age. We will no longer sell BPA to customers who cannot make this promise. Established in November 2008, this new policy is currently being implemented."

According to a December 2008 report on ICIS.com, Sunoco produced 240 million pounds of bisphenol A. The refiner put its chemical business up for sale last December.