March 6, 2009
Six major producers of plastic baby bottles have jointly agreed to stop using bisphenol-A (BPA), an industrial chemical linked to adverse health effects in scientific studies.
The six firms are Avent America, Inc; Disney First Years; Dr. Brown; Evenflo Co.; Gerber; and Playtex Products, Inc. All said they will no longer use polycarbonate plastic bottles for baby products in the U.S.
Polycarbonate is a hard but shatter-proof plastic made with bisphenol A. The chemical is found in a wide variety of products, including in food and drink containers. The companies were prodded by the attorneys general from Connecticut, Delaware and New Jersey, who wrote the companies last year expressing their concern about potential harm to infants.
"This prompt positive response sends a profoundly significant message that baby bottle manufacturers respect the science showing BPA health dangers — and will do the right thing," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. "Hopefully other industries will heed our plea, and a broader legislative ban will be approved this session.
Blumenthal said he believes Congress should ban BPA from certain products for children.
Environmental groups have argued that growing scientific evidence shows that even small amounts of BPA damages reproductive, neurological and immune systems. They say experiments have linked even low levels of BPA to serious health problems, including prostate and breast cancer, early onset of puberty, obesity and diabetes.
Wal-Mart announced last April that it would stop selling baby bottles containing BPA early this year. But as recently as last October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took the position than minimal amounts of BPA did not cause human harm.
That was a reiteration of the agency's position expressed before a Senate committee last May, when FDA Associate Commissioner for Science Norris Alderson said the agency is relying on a large body of scientific evidence that shows the chemical can safely be used in plastics that hold food and beverages.
Critics charge the evidence has mostly been supplied by the industry, which wants to keep on using BPA. They say there are plenty of studies that have, at the very least, raised questions about potential health problems in laboratory animals exposed to BPA.
BPA, a synthetic sex hormone that mimics estrogen, is used to make hard polycarbonate plastic. Ninety-five percent of all baby bottles on the market are made with BP, according to the study.
