BPA in Kids’ Containers Banned

Late last week, the Washington State Senate voted 36-9 to approve a ban on the chemical bisphenol A (BPA ) in baby bottles, sippy cups and other food containers if they are to be used by children 3 or younger, according to a Seattle Times news report.

The House passed a comparable measure earlier but it extended the ban to the reusable-plastic sports bottles popular with hikers. The two houses will have to work out the differences between the two bills, but it now seems all but certain that Washington will become the third state to ban bisphenol A (BPA).

Connecticut and Minnesota have outlawed some BPA products, and several other states are expected to debate similar measures soon. Bisphenol A is found in many hard plastics, most all canned foods and everything from printed receipts to some plastic piping.

Recently, exposure has been linked to brain, behavioral and prostate problems in children and fetuses, but most findings are based on studies involving animals. Some studies have associated BPA with a host of health problems in adults, but the National Institutes of Health has expressed most concern with children, whose brains and bodies are still developing.

The Food and Drug Administration earlier this month for the first time said it was expressing “some concern” about BPA’s effects and would spend $30 million doing more research.

In Washington, the bills passed by both houses would take effect in the summer of 2011 and would lead to fines for retailers and manufacturers who violated the ban.

Many companies have in recent years begun selling baby products advertised as BPA-free.