The Washington Post (3/6, A6, Layton) reports that, in response to a letter from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, “the six largest manufacturers of baby bottles will stop selling bottles in the United States made with bisphenol A (BPA).” The chemical, which has been “in commercial use since the 1950s, is found in a wide variety of everyday items, including plastic beverage containers, eyeglasses, and compact discs.” BPA “mimics the hormone estrogen and may disrupt the body’s endocrine system.” Some “public health advocates say it poses a particular danger to fetuses, infants, and children because BPA can interfere with cell function at a point when their bodies are still developing.” In addition, “more than 130 studies have linked BPA to breast cancer, obesity, and other disorders.”
According to Blumenthal, “Avent, Disney First Years, Gerber, Dr. Brown, Playtex, and Evenflow have agreed to the request” to “stop manufacturing baby bottles that contain” BPA, the AP (3/6) points out. The AP also notes that on Mar. 4, “lawmakers in Suffolk County, NY, became the first in the nation to vote on a ban on baby bottles and toddler sippy cups made with BPA.”
Washington House votes to ban BPA from certain consumer items. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (3/6, Stiffler) reports that on Mar. 5 in Washington State, the “House voted 76-21” to ban BPA “from certain consumer items,” including “baby bottles, sippy cups, and sports water bottles.” The measure “still must be approved by the Senate before becoming law.”
The Seattle Times (3/6) notes that the “bisphenol A ban” measure “is House Bill 1180.” Under the proposed ban, which “would begin July 1, 2010,” BPA would be prohibited in “food and drink containers made for children three and under, as well as reusable drink bottles, such as Nalgene bottles.”