The California State Assembly has rejected a bill that aimed to ban the manufacture, sale, and distribution of any food or beverage that comes in a cup or bottle “that contains more than parts per billion of BPA and is intended by use by children three or younger,” according to Plastics News online. The California rejection follows actions by Connecticut, Minnesota, Chicago and Suffolk County, N.Y. where food containers, cups, or polycarbonate baby bottles that contain BPA are banned.There is a lot of information on BPA from both proponents and opponents. Opponents of the product point to studies that linked BPA to “birth defects, low birth weights, cancer, early puberty and other health problems in rats.” Yet, there are 11 state agencies around the world that “have said that BPA is safe for use in food contact applications.” The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said it will decide by November 30 whether or not to impose a ban. Currently, the FDA holds the position that there is not enough data on BPA to support a ban on using the product in food packaging.
Six baby bottle manufacturers have decided not to wait for the FDA decision and agreed not to use BPA in polycarbonate bottles. “Still and FDA ban could have a huge impact on manufacturers of canned foods that use containers lined with BPA.”
How about a little background on BPA? BPA stands for Bisphenol A, which is a chemical that is primarily used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. According to the website, Bisphenol A.org, BPA is used to make many digital media and electronic products and equipment. Additionally, BPA is used in cars, sports equipment, and reusable food and drink containers, in addition to many other products. The Chemical Market Associates, Inc. estimates that in 2002 roughly 2.8 million tons of BPA was produced globally. Research conducted by various entities around the world has shown the potential for BPA to migrate from a food container into the food itself is actually quite low. Under typical conditions the number is usually less than 5 parts per billion.
However a report conducted by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) states that urine samples taken from children 6 and under revealed detectable levels of BPA in 93 percent of the samples. Further, the report states, “The estimated amount of BPA ingested in humans is similar to the doses used in animal models that cause a variety of diseases/dysfunctions.” While the NIEHS and workshops within the agency have independently found that BPA “may be causing adverse effects at levels to which humans are exposed.” However, the NIEH also notes that “there were significant data gaps that needed to be filled.” Therefore, the NIEH is going to continue doing research on the product.
While the research is ongoing many manufacturers will be nervously awaiting the FDA’s upcoming decision.
To read the Plastics News story click here.
To visit a BPA organization information website click here.
To visit the NIEH website with reports on BPA click here.
Posted: 09/15/09
