Federal government concerned over BPA in plastics

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is adding bisphenol-A, or BPA, to its list of chemicals of concern. This will mean new EPA studies to determine its presence in surface water, groundwater and drinking water, and will require manufacturers that use BPA to provide test data to help evaluate its effects on growth, reproduction and development in aquatic organisms and wildlife. In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a statement expressing concern about the human health risks of BPA, which the agency had declared unsafe in 2008.

These two actions by federal agencies give credence to my H.B. 221, which would prohibit the manufacture or sale in Pennsylvania of baby bottles, training cups, formula cans or other child-care items that contain BPA.

BPA is an estrogen-like chemical added to hard, clear, durable plastics that has been shown to leach from bottles and food cans into packaged food, particularly when it is exposed to heat. It then enters the body through the digestive tract when those foods are consumed. BPA is especially dangerous to children. It has been linked to a range of health disorders including autism, early puberty, obesity, learning and behavioral problems, and prostate and breast cancers.

Visit my Web site for more information about BPA, to see video from a House Consumer Affairs Committee hearing on my bill, and to see a podcast on the dangers of BPA in children's products.