California rejects bisphenol A ban

A proposal to ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and others products used to feed children 3 and younger has been defeated in California.

The California Assembly by a narrow 31-27 margin rejected the proposal on Aug. 18.

The defeat of the proposed ban on BPA in California comes just three days after a draft report issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said trace amounts of BPA contained in food containers were not a threat to infants or adults.

“An adequate margin of safety exists for BPA at current levels of exposure for food contact uses,” said the report.

The report noted that exposure levels of BPA were more than 1,000 times below what would be considered unsafe to either children or adults.

“FDA’s thorough analysis confirms that food contact products made from polycarbonate plastics, including products for infants and children, can continue to be used safely,” said Steve Hentges, executive director of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global group of the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council.

BPA is used to make a variety of consumer products, including polycarbonate baby bottles and epoxy-based food can liners for products such as baby formula and canned vegetables.

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