September 5: Attempts to outlaw the use of a chemical found in can coatings and some babies’ plastics drinks bottles have been thrown out in California.
Legislation that from the beginning of 2009 would have prevented the use of Bisphenol-A in packaged products aimed at babies and young children was ‘refused passage’ at its third reading last week.
The bill, SB 1713, was introduced by Senators Midgen and Perata amid fears that Bisphenol-A, which is used in the manufacture of epoxy phenolic coatings and some plastics, could be toxic, despite industry body research showing that current exposure levels were well below limits specified by legislation in North America and Europe.
Both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority recently published documents detailing follow-up research showing that no change in current legislation was necessary. Indeed, the EFSA pointed out that earlier research on rats failed to take into account that humans excreted BPA much more quickly than previously thought.
