California May Be First State to Ban BPA Bottles

Over the past several months the national news media has
paid quite a bit of attention to the use of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in certain
plastic products and it now appears lawmakers are responding. Bisphenol- A is commonly used in most clear hard plastic containers
that are commercially available today. The issue here is that some experts
believe that BPA could be to blame for developmental problems and may increase the risk of cancer in later life among other concerns. Most of the recent concern has focused on
baby products, like bottles and other beverage containers that contain BPA.
Baby bottles are of particular interest not only because of they are used by
our children, but also because BPA is released from plastic more rapidly when
heated, therefore posing an increased risk of exposure to higher levels of BPA.
Canadian authorities have already banned the sale of BPA containing bottles and
food containers by Canadian retailers and now it seem that California may be on
the same path.

A bill that would ban all but trace amounts of BPA in food
and beverage containers for kids age 3 and younger passed California’s state
senate is likely to come up for a vote in the state assembly this week; It’s
unclear whether Schwarzenegger would sign the bill if it reached his desk, the AP recently reported.

At least 11 other states have considered similar bills, the
AP says. Wal-Mart and Toys “R” Us have said they will stop selling baby
bottles with BPA, and the maker of Nalgene water bottles also plans to stop
using the chemical.

U.S. health authorities including the FDA believe that BPA
does not pose a significant risk in low doses; however, a new report from the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services does say that “[t]he possibility
that bisphenol A may alter human development cannot be dismissed.”

According to the LA Times the bill would be limited to sippy
cups, baby bottles, cans of formula and the baby food jar lids, which are often
coated with plastics that contain BPA.

We can never be to cautious when it comes to the safety of
our children in my opinion. I would much rather ban these products today, than
find out ten years from now that reason my child is suffering is from
developmental problems is because I fed him from BPA bottle when he was a
newborn. In cases like these I believe that we must err on the side of caution.
How do you think lawmakers should respond to concerns over BPA?