The makers of a controversial chemical used in plastics called bisphenol-A (BPA) say the substance has not been used in baby bottles or sippy cups for years and therefore federal BPA regulations should be phased out.
The BPA industry insists concerns over its products are unnecessary and that anything that was ever deemed unsafe is no longer used and hasn’t been used for years, certainly not in anything from which a baby drinks.
The chemical industry's petition to regulators points out that the six leading makers of baby bottles eliminated BPA use in 2009. And none of the 13 major BPA producers, which make 97 percent of the global supply, sells the chemical to bottle makers.
Steven Hentges, the American Chemistry Council's director for BPA issues says, "We're trying to bring clarity and certainty that BPA isn't used in baby bottles and sippy cups today, and it won't be in the future."
Some scientists say that children ingesting BPA risk reproductive and nervous system damage and possibly cancer. BPA is currently used in hundreds of everyday items from CDs to dental sealants. Most canned goods in the United States are sealed with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved BPA resin to prevent contamination and/or spoiling. The chemical industry says BPA is the safest, most effective sealant.
A decision on whether to change BPA regulations isn’t expected from the FDA for at least two months.
This week California became the 11th state banning the use of BPA in baby drinking containers. About 90 percent of Americans have traces of BPA in their urine, but doctors say an adult’s body processes and disposes of the chemical more efficiently than the body of a child.
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