California Lawmakers Ready Ban on BPA; Governor Undecided
The State Senate has already passed a version of the bill and is expected to back changes in the Assembly, which would send the bill to Schwarzenegger, said a spokeswoman for Senator Fran Pavley, the bill’s sponsor.
A spokesman for the governor said he had not yet taken a position on the bill, which would ban bisphenol A, or BPA, in containers for children 3 years old and younger in the most populous U.S. state.
The chemical has been used for decades to harden plastics and turns up in many food and beverage containers and the linings of food containers.
The main fears stem from its potential effects as an endocrine disrupter, commonly known as gender-bending. Endocrine disrupters can mimic or interfere with the body’s natural hormones, damaging development, especially of young children.
The federal agency that investigates health risks is concerned that the chemical may harm people and is spending $20 million to study it. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has launched 11 new animal studies to investigate its possible effects.
Canada plans to ban plastic baby bottles made with BPA. Last month scientists and international health organizations from around the world called on Europe’s food safety watchdog to regulate BPA.
Experts estimate that BPA is detectable in the bodies of more than 90 percent of the U.S. and European population. It is one of the world’s most widely manufactured chemicals, with more than 2.2 million tons produced each year.
(Reporting by Peter Henderson and Maggie Fox; Editing by Xavier Briand)
- Florida’s Home Insurance Industry May Be Worse Than Anyone Realizes
- 2024 Wildfire Forecast Calls for ‘Below Average’ Season
- Insurers Get Green Light to Pay Less Than Billed Charges in Florida PIP Cases
- 4,800 Claims Handled by Unlicensed Adjusters in Florida After Irma, Lawsuit Says
- California Chiropractor Sentenced to 54 Years for $150M Workers’ Comp Scheme
- Report: Vehicle Complexity, Labor ‘Reshaping’ Auto Insurance and Collision Repair
- Millions of Recalled Hyundai and Kia Vehicles, With Dangerous Defect, Remain on Road
- EVs Head for Junkyard as Mechanic Shortage Inflates Repair Costs