Washington, DC – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), author of legislation to prohibit the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in all food and beverage containers, today praised the decision by the six largest manufacturers of baby bottles to stop selling bottles made with BPA in the United States. Rep. Markey is also a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee which has jurisdiction over the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Parents of small children have enough to worry about without questioning whether or not their baby bottles contain poisonous chemicals,” said Rep. Markey. “The evidence is mounting that BPA poses serious health risks to consumers – and that safe alternatives are widely available, I commend these manufacturers for their voluntary decision to halt sales of BPA laden bottles.”
 
“Because parents may not be aware of whether particular bottles contain BPA, and the chemical is found in many other types of food and beverage containers, I am going to continue working to pass my legislation prohibiting the use of BPA in all food and beverage containers and will reintroduce my bill in the coming weeks.”

On June 10th, 2008, Rep. Markey introduced legislation, H.R. 6228, to prohibit the use of BPA in all food and beverage containers. BPA is used to harden plastics and is associated with a broad spectrum of hazardous effects. Often used to make plastic bottles and as a coating in the linings of food and beverage cans, it has been shown to leach out of the containers into liquids and foods, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention found measurable amounts of BPA in the bodies of 93 percent of the U.S. population studied.

According to media reports, the makers of the six largest manufacturers of baby bottles announced Friday the voluntary decision to halt sales of BPA bottles in the U.S.

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