Connecticut: Senate passes BPA ban

Connecticut’s Senate has passed a bill that will ban bisphenol A from baby bottles and reusable food and drink containers with a nearly unanimous vote of 35-1. Connecticut is on its way to become the second state this month to pass this landmark ban – Minnesota banned BPA earlier this month.

Connecticut’s ban is contingent on passing in the House, where an earlier version passed 128-14. When the bill reached the Senate, politicians removed a condition from the bill that food cans bear warning that they contain BPA. The House must approve this new version of the bill before the legislature adjourns on June 3.

The fate of the bill was questionable early on as questions were raised about whether such a ban would be constitutional. Connecticut’s Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, looked into the matter and announced recently that the bill is constitutional.

The Connecticut legislature’s deliberation over BPA comes amidst a national firestorm. States across the country are considering bans and a national ban – the Ban Poisonous Additives Act - has just been introduced to Congress. (Click here to voice your support of a national BPA ban.)

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has failed to protect the public by reviewing all science surrounding BPA’s affect on humans and banning the chemical from products.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the FDA relied heavily on chemical industry lobbyists to vet scientific studies for the governmental agency in its decision-making process on BPA. Independent scientists interviewed by the Journal Sentinel said they were not given the same access to the FDA’s safety assessors. Not surprisingly, chemical industry-funded studies found no problems with BPA exposure while many independent studies have linked BPA exposure to diabetes, heart disease, developmental delays and infertility.

The Journal Sentinel’s editorial board responded to these latest reports with an editorial titled Better Science, Please.

We repeat our call for Congress to act swiftly on legislation in both houses to ban the chemical from all food and beverage containers. Yes, young children are more at risk, but given the inadequacy of the "science" the FDA has relied upon to judge BPA, banning it completely is the most prudent action. The chemical has been detected in the urine of 93% of Americans tested.

The FDA has relied primarily on two studies funded by a trade association for makers of BPA. In April, an international consortium of scientists rejected the government's use of those studies. … The e-mails reveal access for the industry that far exceeded any available to those who might have had more balanced or contrary views. That's not regulation. It's a rubber stamp.

Because the FDA isn’t doing what it should to protect the public, states like Connecticut are stepping up and doing it instead.