California lawmakers reject BPA ban

02 September 2008 17:38  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--California State Assembly members rejected a proposed ban on children’s products containing bisphenol A (BPA), sources said on Tuesday. 

The assembly voted against the ban 36-31 during the final hours of this year’s legislative session on Friday, with 13 members abstaining. The state Senate approved the ban in May, after studies linked high doses of BPA to cancer in lab animals.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which by some estimates spent more than $1m (€680,000) to oppose the measure, praised the legislators for their action.

“California's legislators made the right decision for their consumers," the ACC’s Steven Hentges said in a statement. “Products targeted by this bill have been affirmed to be safe by government bodies around the world.”

Representatives of bill sponsor State Senator Carole Migden (Democrat-San Francisco) did not immediate return calls for comment.

The assembly had rejected the bill last month, but kept the door open for Friday’s revote. The measure would have banned the manufacture, advertisement and selling of food-contact items containing BPA for children aged 3 and under in the largest state economy of the US.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in August that a review of studies showed BPA to be safe at levels most consumers encountered, but called for additional research on its effects on non-human primates.

BPA is found in polycarbonate (PC), a hard, transparent plastic found in everything from baby bottles to DVDs.

($1 = €0.68)

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By: Ben Lefebvre
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