ACC Petitions FDA to Prohibit BPA in Baby Bottles, Sippy Cups
The American Chemistry Council has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw approval for use of polycarbonate resins, containing bisphenol A1 (BPA) in baby bottles and children’s sippy cups.
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ACC Says BPA Has Not Been Used in Baby Bottles, Sippy Cups for Several Years
ACC states that “although governments around the world continue to support the safety of BPA in food contact materials, confusion about these products has become an unnecessary distraction to consumers, legislators and state regulators.” According to ACC, “FDA action on its request will provide certainty that BPA is not used to make the baby bottles and sippy cups on store shelves, either today or in the future.”
ACC notes that recent state actions have contributed to confusion about whether baby bottles and sippy cups sold in the U.S. contain BPA. According to ACC, manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups announced several years ago that due to consumer preference they had stopped using BPA in these products.
(See ITT’s Online Archives 11042818 for summary of the enactment of BPA ban laws by nine states.)
Rep. Markey Calls ACC Petition an "Empty Gesture," Urges Passage of his Bill
In response to ACC’s request, Representative Markey (D-MA), senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, stated that while he welcomes the chemical industry’s support of a ban on some BPA-containing baby products, he calls it an “empty gesture.” Markey notes that he introduced the Ban Poisonous Additives Act (H.R. 432) to prohibit the use of BPA in all food and beverage containers.
1BPA is used in a wide variety of consumer products, including food containers, water bottles, etc.
(See ITT’s Online Archives 11012833 for summary of H.R. 432.
See ITT’s Online Archives 11072619 for summary of EPA advance notice of proposed rulemaking to request comment on issuing a “test rule” requiring toxicity testing and environmental sampling and monitoring of BPA as a means of determining whether BPA presents an unreasonable risk of injury to the environment.
See ITT’s Online Archives 11012827 for summary of Senate bill (S. 136) to ban BPA In baby feeding items.