Debate Continues over Chemical Policy
Published: 28 July 2008
Category: Bisphenol A (BPA), Packaging CONCERNS, Studies/Federal Regulations
According to the “Modesto Bee”, California State Senator Mark Leno and his seat predecessor, Carole Migden, both introduced bills that would, if enacted, ban the use of certain chemicals in consumer products. Leno’s Assembly Bill 706 aims to prohibit two types of chemical fire retardants from being applied to furniture and bedding, while Migden’s Senate Bill 1713 proposes that bisphenol A (BPA), an additive used in manufacturing plastic products, be barred from baby bottles and other children’s food containers, emulating Canada’s ban. Critics reportedly believe that these bills that aim to remove select chemicals from the market are “leading policy makers away from a systematic analysis of threats to public health and safety and the environment” and lack a “science-based front-end approach to chemical policy.”