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IMAGE SOURCE:© Wikimedia Commons / chemical structure of bisphenol A / Calvero
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U.S. state and federal lawmakers are working to ban the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) from beverage containers and food.
Bisphenol-A is a compound that hardens plastic and is used in thousands of everyday consumer items including the lining of food cans, food containers, DVD cases, shower curtains, and baby bottles.
When the 111th Congress convenes in January, Rep. Edward J. Markey, (D-Mass.) plans to renew a bill to ban BPA from beverage and food containers, citing an analysis conducted by the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.
The Journal measured the amount of bisphenol-A released after heating and calculated how much of the chemical children of varying ages and weight would consume if they were to eat from the containers. All ten products tested, leaked toxic doses of the chemical when heated, found the newspaper.
“This test of ‘microwave safe’ containers adds to the vast and compelling arguments indicating that BPA is dangerous and unsuitable for all beverage and food containers,” Markey said.
The Journal Sentinel found 17 studies in which scientists looked at levels of BPA exposure in live laboratory animals that showed harmful effects including genital defects, behavioral changes and abnormal development of mammary glands.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he, too, plans to reintroduce his fight to have Bispehnol-A banned from all children's products.
13 states have proposed a ban on BPA. Wisconsin is not yet one of them.
A scientific advisory panel recently concluded the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) underestimated scientific evidence and employed flawed methods when deciding a chemical widely used in baby bottles and in the lining of cans is not harmful.
The report, found the FDA did not take into account a host of studies linking bisphenol-A (BPA) to diabetes, prostate cancer and other health problems when finalizing its first draft risk assessment in September. #