Sacramento, Calif – The California State Senate voted today to ban the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol A from baby bottles and sippy cups sold in California.
The Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act (AB 1319) heads back to the Assembly for a final vote.
“Today’s action by the Senate is further proof that the interests of California’s children can have a voice in Sacramento,” said Renee Sharp, head of EWG’s California office.
"Today's vote to eliminate BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups is part of re-asserting California's leadership on environmental health protections,” said Martha Dina Argüello, Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles. “As physicians and health advocates, we need measures like AB 1319 to help reduce exposure to BPA since babies and children are most vulnerable to endocrine-disrupting chemicals."
“Banning the dangerous chemical BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups is just the kind of protective measure the CA Legislature should be spending it’s time and energy on," said Elisa Odabashian, West Coast Director of Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports and co-sponsor of the bill. "We applaud them for their leadership.”
The legislation, sponsored by Environmental Working Group and authored by State Assembly member Betsy Butler (D-Marina Del Ray) and State Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), would bar BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups made or sold after July 1, 2013. It would also require manufacturers to use the least toxic alternative substance for these products.
Last week, Deborah Raphael, director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control sent a letter to Butler expressing support for the legislation “in light of the information available regarding the potential health effects of bisphenol A.”
In addition to EWG, the legislation was co-sponsored by Consumers Union, Black Women for Wellness, and Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles.
