Industry trumps children: BPA ban defeated in CA

We bring you bad news today, as California's attempt to ban Bisphenol-A (BPA) from children's containers has failed. The bill had been passed by the California State Assembly and Senate, and was just back in the Senate for a final procedural vote. All signs pointed to the bill's passage.

In a last minute push, highly paid lobbyists from industry mislead lawmakers with claims that production plants would close, that a BPA ban would cause a formula shortage, and that alternative products aren't available -- all untrue. BPA has successfully been banned in seven states, and many big corporations (Playtex, Evenflo, Gerber, Advent and Disney First Years) have already eliminated BPA from many products.

A California ban would have been important for the demise of BPA across the country given the percentage of the population that is in the state. And the manufacturers of the chemical and the products that use it spent over $5 million against the legislation according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"We are heartbroken, disappointed and perplexed ... In the seven states that have banned BPA, both Republicans and Democrats have joined together to protect children. I hate to say it, but after an intensive and expensive lobbying campaign by the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, it looks like big money has trumped the health of babies in the California legislature today."
- Gretchen Salter, Breast Cancer Fund.

"It's a shame that we have failed to protect our most vulnerable citizens from this toxic chemical ... This has been a real David vs. Goliath fight and I'm disappointed that some of my colleagues in the Senate chose to side with the powerful chemical and pharmaceutical industries and not with California children."
- Bill Sponsor Senator Fran Pavley (D–Santa Monica).

"Once again we see children's health sacrificed to the cold alter of money and influence ... Apparently, the fact that the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Toxicology Program, and several other states and countries around the world have expressed serious concern and/or taken action to reduce BPA exposures means little compared to how money talks in Sacramento."
- Renée Sharp, Environmental Working Group.

"It is a sad day when chemical industry lobbyists matter more than protecting Californians from exposure to dangerous chemicals."
- Martha Dina Argüello, Executive Director of PSR-LA.