Bill Banning Toxic Chemical In Baby Bottles, Sippy Cups, and Water Bottles Passes House Overwhelmingly

Olympia, WA— The Washington State House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed the Safe Baby Bottle Act (2SHB 1180), a bill to eliminate the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from food and beverage containers used by children. The bill passed with bipartisan support on a vote of 95-1.

“I’m proud we united 95 to 1 to protect babies and young children from BPA-laced food containers,” said State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (D-Seattle), the prime sponsor of the legislation.  “The overwhelming support for this bill reflects the overwhelming evidence that kids need to be protected against this very toxic substance.”

The Safe Baby Bottle Act will eliminate the hormone disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from baby bottles, sippy cups, other children’s food containers, and sports water bottles. BPA is used in polycarbonate plastic and lining of food and beverage cans.

“This is a great day for children’s health,” said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal, campaign director for the Washington Toxics Coalition. “BPA has no place in cups and bottles our children use everyday. The House saw this vote as a no-brainer and, hopefully, the Senate will too.”

The legislation passed days after the Federal Food and Drug Administration registered its concern about BPA, citing evidence that BPA affects the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children.

The bill is one of the top priorities of the Environmental Priorities Coalition.

“The state’s entire environmental community applauds the House for passing the Safe Baby Bottle Act,” said Clifford Traisman, lead lobbyist for the Coalition, Washington’s environmental advocacy group. Traisman continued, “This is a huge win and we hope the Senate moves to pass it just as swiftly."

The Senate version of the bill, SB 6248, passed out of the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee last week but without a key provision banning BPA in sports water bottles.  Advocates want the provision restored because sports water bottles can be a significant source of exposure. A 2009 Harvard University study found that spending a week drinking from polycarbonate bottles raised BPA levels by 69%.  The House version passed today would eliminate BPA from sports water bottles.

If the legislation becomes law, Washington would become only the third state in the nation to place restrictions on BPA in children’s products. Both Minnesota and Connecticut passed BPA bans in 2009. Three counties in New York and the City of Chicago have also passed BPA bans in the last year. Several other states have pending BPA legislation this year, including Oregon, California, Maryland, Illinois, and Vermont.

"While forward-thinking companies have made progress in phasing BPA out of their products, parents should be able to shop with confidence in all of Washington's stores, secure in the knowledge that the baby bottles and sippy cups they buy for their kids are BPA-free," said Blair Anundson, consumer advocate for WashPIRG.

Major baby bottle manufacturers, including Avent, and Playtex, have started phasing out the use of BPA in their products. Nalgene and Camelbak, makers of sports water bottles, have already made the switch to BPA-free materials.

BPA is a synthetic sex hormone that research links to health effects, including cancer, miscarriage, obesity, reproductive problems, and hyperactivity. In addition, recent scientific studies show infants are more susceptible to BPA because it stays longer in their bodies than adults. Research also shows exposure to BPA puts girls at an increased risk of breast cancer.

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