Washington Lobbyists Connive to Kill California Public Health Bill; Industry Hired Guns Plan to Manipulate the Legislative Process

Product Design and Development: "Last Thursday, chemical and food industry lobbyists called an emergency brainstorming session to devise an attack plan to stop a California legislative proposal for a virtual ban on the toxic plastics chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage containers for children 3 and under.

According to internal emails obtained by the Washington Post, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Environmental Working Group, Washington representatives of Coca-Cola, Alcoa, Del Monte, the American Chemistry Council, the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. and Grocery Manufacturers Association convened behind closed doors at Washington's exclusive Cosmos Club and committed $500,000 to an effort to 'prolong the life of BPA,' an integral plastics component estimated to generate more than $6 billion in global sales annually. The chemical, used to harden polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used as coatings and food can linings, is a synthetic estrogen shown in more than 100 laboratory tests to disrupt the endocrine system, disrupt brain and reproductive system development and function and cause other serious conditions such as cancer, behavior and learning problems, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity."

According to the emails, the group, calling themselves the BPA Joint Trade Association, discussed, among other things, tactics to defeat California State Senator Fran Pavley (D-23) measure that would largely eliminate BPA's use in baby bottles, sippy cups, formula cans and baby food jars. The emails said industry lobbyists were deployed in Sacramento, "befriending people that are able to manipulate the legislative process."

The emails show that the group also discussed California's Proposition 65, which requires the governor's office to publish an annual list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive system damage. They agreed, the emails said, to "build up their contact base in Sacramento" to influence this process to embrace the industry's view of "the benefits of using BPA," rather than scientists' and environmentalists assertions that BPA is dangerous to human health at current exposure levels and should be restricted from contact with food and beverages.

The rationale, according to the emails: the chemical and food processing industries did not "want to win at the legislative level and then not have anyone buy the product."According to the emails, the group, calling themselves the BPA Joint Trade Association, discussed, among other things, tactics to defeat California State Senator Fran Pavley (D-23) measure that would largely eliminate BPA's use in baby bottles, sippy cups, formula cans and baby food jars. The emails said industry lobbyists were deployed in Sacramento, "befriending people that are able to manipulate the legislative process."

The emails show that the group also discussed California's Proposition 65, which requires the governor's office to publish an annual list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive system damage. They agreed, the emails said, to "build up their contact base in Sacramento" to influence this process to embrace the industry's view of "the benefits of using BPA," rather than scientists' and environmentalists assertions that BPA is dangerous to human health at current exposure levels and should be restricted from contact with food and beverages.

The rationale, according to the emails: the chemical and food processing industries did not "want to win at the legislative level and then not have anyone buy the product."