Assembly Protects Wisconsin Kids from Toxic Chemical, BPA

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BPA Free Kids Act Passes Assembly, Heads to Governor for Final Approval

WISPIRG

Madison, WI – Today, the Wisconsin State Assembly passed SB271, the BPA Free Kids Act, making Wisconsin the third state in the country to take action on the toxic chemical commonly found in children’s products.

“Toxic chemicals have no place being in children’s products,” said Bruce Speight, WISPIRG Director.  “Today’s vote is a victory for Wisconsin’s littlest consumers who shouldn’t unnecessarily be exposed to toxic chemicals like BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups.”

The BPA Free Kids Act prohibits the manufacture and sale at the wholesale level of baby bottles and sippy cups that contain BPA.  It also requires that these bottles and sippy cups be clearly labeled as being “BPA Free.” 

“We drafted this legislation in response to the mounting scientific evidence and public concern about BPA,” said State Representative Kelda Helen Roys, the lead sponsor of the Assembly bill.  “Many American manufacturers have already stopped using BPA in food and beverage containers for young children, but parents should not have to be chemists to know which products are safe for their families.  If a product is on the shelf, consumers deserve to have confidence that it will not poison their children.”

BPA is a synthetic sex hormone that can disrupt the human endocrine system, which regulates growth and development.  In the past decade, studies link even tiny doses of BPA to serious adverse health effects including breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, thyroid disease, early puberty in girls, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, diabetes and obesity.  93% of Americans tested by the Centers for Disease Control had detectable levels in their urine. 

Children are the most exposed (through baby bottles, sippy cups, etc.) to bisphenol A, at a critical time in their growth and development.  Since BPA mimics the hormone estrogen, fetuses and children are most vulnerable to exposure to BPA.  The CDC study mentioned above found that children had the highest levels of BPA, followed by teens and adults. 

On January 15, 2010, U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that they share the concern expressed more than a year ago by the National Toxicology Project for Bisphenol A’s impact on human development.  In their Friday announcement, the agency registered concern for “the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children.” 

“While I am gratified that the FDA is finally taking steps to protect the public, state action is necessary to get BPA-laden infant and children’s products off the shelves now,” said Roys.  “We have an independent responsibility to protect Wisconsin’s citizens when Washington fails to do so.”

“With the BPA Free Kids Act, the state is taking action for Wisconsin consumers and for public health in the state.  Today’s vote moves us one step closer to a toxic free future for our kids and our communities,” concluded Speight.