US enviro groups urge ban on BPA in baby bottles

07 February 2008 20:10  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--A coalition of US and Canadian environmental groups called on Thursday for an immediate government ban on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic baby bottles and other food containers, citing health safety reasons.

 

Industry officials disputed the claim, saying that BPA has been proven safe in normal use by multiple scientific studies and noting that every state legislature that has considered banning BPA has declined to do so.

 

BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, which are used in a wide variety of consumer products such as baby bottles, sports and safety equipment and health care devices.

 

The environmental coalition, the Work Group for Safe Markets, said its study shows that BPA leaches from baby bottles when they are heated, either in preparing baby formula or in machine washing.

 

The study says that when infant formula bottles are heated, BPA concentrations of 4.7 to 8.3 parts per billion (ppb) are released. 

 

“Recent research on animals shows that BPA can be harmful by disrupting development at doses below these levels,” the group said.

 

The coalition, which includes more than a dozen environmental groups, said the adverse health effects of BPA are aggravated in infants because of their low body weights, high metabolic rates and rapidly developing organs.

 

In response, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) said that a wide body of scientific research shows that “release of BPA from polycarbonate bottles under real-life conditions is far below conservative science-based safety standards”.

 

The council cited studies by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, the University of Athens and the Dutch research organisation TNO.

 

The European Food Safety Authority, said the council, found that “even under extreme conditions and scenarios, the amount of BPA released from polycarbonate baby bottles is clearly below the TDI [tolerable daily intake] for babies”.

 

The coalition said that nine US states have introduced legislation to restrict the use of BPA in children’s products and called for a consumer petition campaign to urge action by legislators.

 

However, Steve Hentges, the council’s director for polycarbonate/BPA issues, said that state bills to ban BPA have been introduced frequently over the last three years but all have failed or been withdrawn.

 

“We’ve found that with state legislators, when they get some basic scientific facts about BPA, the legislation is withdrawn or BPA is removed from the bill as a targeted substance,” he said.

 

For more on BPA visit ICIS chemical intelligence

By: Joe Kamalick
+1 713 525 2653

< previous article(VIDEO - ICIS news Europe Lunchtime Bulletin 27 October 2009)

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly