Message in a Bottle: BPA in Baby Products Still Lurks on Oregon Shelves
A new report released today finds that BPA-containing children’s products remain for sale on some store shelves, but have been effectively phased out in states that have adopted laws to eliminate the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in such products.
States With BPA Laws Succeed in Protecting Children
PORTLAND, OR: May 11, 2011 – A new report released today finds that BPA-containing children’s products remain for sale on some store shelves, but have been effectively phased out in states that have adopted laws to eliminate the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in such products.
The report, Message in a Bottle: A Market Survey on Bisphenol A (BPA) in Baby Bottles and Sippy Cups, details results of a recent market survey to determine whether BPA-containing baby bottles and sippy cups are still on store shelves in Chicago, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin, where they have been banned. Oregon, a state that has not yet banned BPA-containing children’s products, was also surveyed. Volunteer data collectors searched the shelves of 89 different stores in 35 communities in five states.
“In states with BPA regulations parents have one less thing to worry about when trying to keep their families safe and healthy. But parents, especially those in unregulated states, need to be wary of BPA products that are still on the shelves” noted Kathleen Schuler, author of the report.
Sippy cups containing BPA are still on the shelves in Oregon. While most bottles in the surveyed stores were BPA-free, data collectors found unlabeled sippy cups suspected to contain BPA as well as some BPA-containing polycarbonate products from older stock made by Playtex, Gerber, and Avent. “It’s unfortunate that these products are still available in Oregon,” said Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis of Oregon Environmental Council. “We need to take action to ensure that all families, regardless of where they live or shop, can be confident that the baby bottles and sippy cups they purchase are BPA-free.”
BPA is a chemical component of polycarbonate plastic used to make baby bottles, toddler sippy cups and sport water bottles. BPA disrupts human hormones, and exposure has been linked to a range of health problems, including cancer, liver abnormalities, reproductive and developmental problems, diabetes and obesity.
Minnesota was the first state in the nation to ban BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups. Seven other states and the city of Chicago soon followed suit. The Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 695 to ban BPA from baby bottles, sippy cups and sports water bottles in April 2011, and the House Energy, Environment and Water Committee held a public hearing on May 10.
“We can also prevent chemicals like BPA from getting into products in the first place by reforming the way chemicals are regulated in the U.S. We need to require basic safety data on all chemicals and prioritize the phase out of the worst chemicals to protect public health,” said Lindsay Dahl, Deputy Director of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg’s Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 would reform the Toxic Substances Control Act to require basic safety data and strengthen the EPA’s ability to prohibit harmful chemicals like BPA.
The report provides tips to reduce exposure to BPA in drinking containers, food can linings, infant formula, credit card receipts, toys and dental sealants.
The full report can be found here.
Contact: Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis, Environmental Health Program Director
503.222.1963 x110 or reneep [at] oeconline.org
About Oregon Environmental Council
Oregon Environmental Council safeguards what Oregonians love about Oregon—clean air and water, an unpolluted landscape and healthy food produced by local farmers. For more than 40 years we've been a champion for solutions to protect the health of every Oregonian and the place we call home. Find out more at oeconline.org.
