Proponents of banning bisphenol-A, a chemical used in baby bottles, sippy cups, and the coating of formula cans were handed a huge defeat Monday, when the California Legislature voted down a bill that would ban the chemical from baby bottles.
Another bill to ban a chemical compound called PFOA, which is used in food packaging and is a key ingredient in Teflon, also was defeated.
Concern has been growing among parents about BPA, which is believed to mimic hormones in the body and disrupt the endocrine system. It's been linked to male infertility, among other issues, and is widely used in baby bottles and sippy cups, although more and more BPA-free alternatives are on store shelves.
Senate Bill 1713 by Sen. Carol Migden of San Francisco, would have banned bisphenol-A from baby bottles and other products. Laboratory studies show the chemical harms brain development. Migden's measure failed on a 27-31 vote when 22 legislators abstained from voting.
Senate Bill 1313, by Sen. Ellen Corbett of San Leandro, would have banned the chemical PFOA from food packaging, which has been identified as a likely human carcinogen. It fell five votes short of the 41 needed with 11 members of the Assembly not voting.
However, the Food and Drug Administration released a report last Friday, right before the California vote, declaring that BPA is safe in the levels human are typically exposed to.
The chemical industry rallied aginst the bills, running ads showing an empty grocery cart in a dry lake bed, wich implied that every item in a typical grocery list would have to be pulled frmo the shelve sif the bill were to pass.
It's possible the legislature will revisit both bills again.
