France Bans Baby Bottles Containing Bisphenol A

redOrbit: "On Wednesday, French lawmakers passed legislation that will ban baby bottles containing the chemical Bisphenol A from being developed.

However, the deputies stopped short of banning the chemical from all plastics.

BPA is suspected of harming human development. It is used in the production of polycarbonated plastics and epoxy resins found in baby bottles, plastic containers, the lining of cans used for food and beverages, and in dental sealants."

New York Legislation Would Ban BPA in Products for Young Children

wgrz.com: "ALBANY - Lawmakers and environmental advocates are calling on Gov. David Paterson to sign a bill that would ban the chemical bisphenol-A in sippy cups, pacifiers and other products for young children, legislation that passed the Senate and Assembly unanimously this week.

Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is used mainly in producing polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Besides products for infants and toddlers, it can be found in compact discs and medical devices. Epoxy resins with BPA are used to coat metal products like canned foods and bottle tops, the institute said.

The chemical, which mimics estrogen and disrupts the endocrine system, has been linked to breast and prostate cancer, early onset of puberty and polycystic ovary syndrome. Studies have found exposure to BPA can negatively affect fetuses and newborns, according to the institute."

NTP-CERHR Monograph on BPA

NTP-CERHR Report 2008

The NTP has some concern for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bisphenol A.

The NTP has minimal concern for effects on the mammary gland and an earlier age for puberty for females in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bisphenol A.

The NTP has negligible concern that exposure of pregnant women to bisphenol A will result in fetal or neonatal mortality, birth defects, or reduced birth weight and growth in their offspring.

The NTP has negligible concern that exposure to bisphenol A will cause reproductive effects in non-occupationally exposed adults and minimal concern for workers exposed to higher levels in occupational settings.

Scientists slam EFSA over bisphenol A, call to curb exposure

foodproductiondaily: "Hundreds of studies providing “overwhelming scientific evidence” of the harm caused by bisphenol A (BPA) are being dismissed by regulatory agencies because they don’t conform with the outdated safety test guideline authorities insist on using."

This is the verdict delivered as part of a stinging attack on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) by scores of scientists and non-governmental organisations as they called on the body to reduce human exposure to the chemical – particularly in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and young children.

But EFSA rejected the allegations, saying the sole criteria it used to select studies on which to base its conclusions had always been the scientific quality of the research and its relevance to human health risks. The body told FoodProductionDaily.com that it “assesses the scientific merits of each study individually, regardless of how it is funded and whether or not it complies with established international guidelines”.

France votes to ban BPA in baby bottles from 2011

Chemical Watch : "The French National Assembly voted on 23 June to ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby feeding bottles. Sale and facbrication of such products will be prohibited from 1January 2011. However, members of Parliament refused to back calls by Socialist MP Gerard Bapt for a total ban on the use of the chemical in all food containers. MPs are expected to continue the debate on a wider ban in 2011"

Exposure to BPA must be reduced, say scientists

Letter to EFSA: The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) has added its name to a letter to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) calling for a reduction in human exposure to the synthetic chemical, Bisphenol A (BPA). (1)

The signatories, which include professors and scientists from US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain,

Switzerland and UK and more than 40 international and national health groups, welcome the fact that the current review is taking into account a large number of studies in its opinion on BPA due to be published in early July 2010.

The opinion from EFSA has been delayed to take into account "hundreds of studies" and the "most recent scientific literature", according to the EFSA website. (2) The Open Letter from scientists and NGOs says that "Only a tiny minority of studies have articulated that BPA exposure is safe… but it is these few flawed studies that EFSA previously relied on to declare BPA safe."

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The letter was published on Wednesday as EFSA is due to issue a new scientific opinion on the safety of BPA in food contact materials in early July. The European Commission asked the scientific body to assess the latest findings on the issue.

EFSA previously declared BPA safe. According to the letter's signatories, "only a tiny minority of studies have articulated that BPA exposure is completely safe, and many… have been criticised in academic commentaries…but it is these few flawed studies that EFSA previously relied on [to deliver its advice].

This seems to contradict preliminary findings published in early June by France's national institute for health and medical research (Inserm), which said it will take years before it can be proven that BPA has long term impacts on human reproduction.

The letter refers to several new studies raising risks of exposure relating to increased likelihood of, for example, developing diabetes and breast cancer. "Any objective and comprehensive review of the scientific literature will lead to the conclusion that action is necessary to reduce the levels of BPA exposure," the authors say.

An increasing number of countries are taking action to address such risks. In May, French MPs backed a temporary ban the use of BPA in baby feeding bottles. In June, the German environment agency issued guidance encouraging manufacturers, importers and users to use alternative substances.

In May, Swedish environment minister Andreas Carlgren said that, if the EU did not quickly ban the hormone disrupting substance bisphenol in baby bottles, Sweden would "precede with a national prohibition". US and Canadian regulators have already taken action to limit BPA exposure.

PlasticsEurope critical of German BPA precautions

Plastics News: "Industry trade association PlasticsEurope has hit out at a report published earlier this month by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (Umweltbundesamt) which recommends that producers and users of bisphenol A adopt alternatives as a precautionary measure.

The Umweltbundesamt report, “Bisphenol A: a chemical with adverse effects produced in large quantities,” was published on June 9. According to Brussels-based PlasticsEurope, its recommendation — that BPA producers and users switch to alternatives — is a misinterpretation of the European Union’s precautionary principle."