New Legislation to Ban BPA in Children’s Products

Epoch Times: "Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced new legislation to ban Bisphenol-A (BPA) from common products used by children and pregnant women on Sunday, Dec. 13. BPA is a chemical used to make plastics clear and shatter-resistant, also found in the linings of cans and baby bottles. A recent Consumer Reports’ study showed that BPA is now being used in a wider range of products and consumables in higher concentrations than thought before.

“This study adds to the mounting evidence that BPA is not only harmful for our children but for an overwhelming majority of Americans,” Schumer said. “There have been enough warning signs about the dangers of this chemical that we cannot sit idly by and continue to allow residents across New York City to be exposed. We need to keep this dangerous chemical out of the food chain.”"

The bill, The BPA-Free Kids Act, will prohibit the manufacture and sale of food and beverage containers composed of BPA for infants and toddlers. Children’s foods and beverages made of BPA would be labeled “banned hazardous substances” under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. The bill mandates application of criminal or civil penalties for any violations of the BPA-Free Kids Act, including the testing, certification, and labeling requirements.

“I could not feel a greater sense of urgency on getting the chemical out of the foods our families eat,” Gillibrand said. “They already do this in other countries. If Canada can do it, so can we.”

The bill would provide funding for additional research on BPA of about $5 million a year for five years to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to increase understanding on the health effects of BPA in all age groups and pregnant women.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is also introducing legislation to permanently ban BPA from all food and beverage containers, and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand are supporting this as well.

Schumer says it will be much easier to pass the legislation banning BPA from children’s food and beverage containers, as there has been resistance for the other bill because there hasn’t been as much testing for adult groups.

New fears surface over bisphenol A

Food production daily: "A study by the French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) found BPA caused a negative reaction in the intestine of rats – even at low doses. The report was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences and focused on the digestive tract as the first organ the chemical comes into contact with after being consumed.

INRA said its team orally administered doses of BPA to the rats that were equivalent to about 10 times less than the daily amount considered safe for humans. The Toulouse-based body’s research was also carried out on human intestine cells and revealed the chemical lowered the permeability of the intestines and the immune system's response to digestive inflammation. They also found that newborn rats exposed to BPA in the uterus and during feeding have a higher risk of developing severe intestinal inflammation in adulthood."

These findings illustrate the intestine's great sensitivity to Bisphenol A and open new research paths for characterising and evaluating the effects of endocrine disruptors from food,” said a statement from the researchers.

It added: “They may also contribute to risk assessment and the determination of new acceptable exposure thresholds for these molecules.”

BPA warning

Concern about the substance grew further when the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program warned people - particularly pregnant women and children - not to consume the substance.

Bisphenol A in Canned Foods

Centre for Food Safety HongKong "Last month, a consumer group in the United States reported results of a survey which found measurable levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in a diverse assortment of canned foods.

BPA is used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic, a material commonly used to make beverage bottles and tableware. It is also a starting material for certain epoxy resins used to make protective coatings and linings for food and beverage cans. Small amounts of BPA residues can migrate from polycarbonate plastics or epoxy resin linings into foods and beverages. BPA can also migrate into foods if the plastic or resin is damaged or broken down. Concerns of BPA residues in foods are related to hormonal properties of BPA and the uncertainty in the results of animal studies on the possibility of adverse health effects on reproduction, the nervous system and behavioural development.

Previous reviews by major regulatory and advisory bodies considered that the current dietary exposures to BPA through food packaging uses were not expected to pose a health risk to the general population, including newborns and infants.

The World Health Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations will jointly organise an expert meeting next year to assess the safety of BPA. The Centre for Food Safety will follow closely developments on this subject."

Eden Foods - Bisphenol-A (BPA) Free Can Lining

Eden Foods: "All 33 Eden Organic Beans including Chili, Rice & Beans, Refried, and Flavored, are cooked in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous c-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disrupter chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA). Oleoresin is a non-toxic mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants, such as pine or balsam fir. These cans cost 14% more than the industry standard cans that do contain BPA. The Ball Corporation tells us that Eden is the only U.S. food maker to date to use these BPA free cans and we have been since April 1999."

Investigation of Storage Time on Potential Bisphenol A Migration into Canned Liquid Infant Formula Stored at Room Temperature

Health Canada: "The results of this survey clearly indicate that exposure to BPA through the consumption of canned liquid infant formula products would be extremely low. The low levels of BPA found in liquid infant formula products confirms Health Canada's previous assessment conclusion that the current dietary exposure to BPA through food packaging uses is not expected to pose a health risk to the consumer."

Safe Baby Bottle Act Washington

Blog of the Washington 35th Legislative District Democrats: "The Safe Baby Bottle Act would phase out the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, food and beverage cans, and other consumer products. BPA is one of the highest volume chemicals produced in the world. Testing by the Centers for Disease Control found 93 percent of Americans age 6 and up were exposed to BPA. It is a hormone-disrupting chemical that can have health effects at extremely low exposure levels. Studies have linked BPA to cancer, miscarriage, obesity, hyperactivity and reproductive development problems in children"

FDA Blows It on BPA

Windows Live: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will miss its third self-imposed deadline on letting consumers know whether it is safe to use products made with bisphenol A, a chemical ingredient in the lining of most food and beverage cans.

FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said Tuesday the agency would not be making a decision before the end of the year, a pledge it made when it missed its Nov. 30 deadline."