Lawmaker is author of legislation to ban BPA in all food and beverage containers
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), released the following statement in response to the American Chemical Council’s (ACC) announcement that it has petitioned the FDA to withdraw approval for use of polycarbonate resins, containing bisphenol A (BPA), in baby bottles and children’s sippy cups. Although BPA is no longer used in most baby bottles and sippy cups, cans of baby formula and children’s food products such as SpaghettiO’s are still lined with BPA that readily leaches into the food children eat.
 
“While I welcome the chemical industry’s support for a ban on some BPA-containing baby products, this really isn’t even a baby step – it is an empty gesture,” said Rep. Markey. “Most manufacturers, driven by consumer pressure, have already made the market decision to remove BPA from feeding bottles and sippy cups.  I have introduced The Ban Poisonous Additives Act that will keep BPA out of our bodies while also ensuring that all food and beverage containers are free from dangerous chemicals. It is time for Republicans to stop blocking action on this public health issue and for Congress to act quickly to ban this toxin from all food and beverage containers.”
 
For the past three Congresses, Rep. Markey has led the fight to ban BPA from all food and beverage containers by introducing the Ban Poisonous Additives Act. Research has found that BPA leaches from containers into food and beverages and has been linked to cancer, reproductive dysfunction and heart disease. Studies have also found that many commercially available plastic resins and products, including baby bottles and other products advertised as BPA- free, release chemicals having hormone activity, similar to BPA.
 
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