Bisphenol-A Banned From Plastic Babies’ Bottles

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally banned bisphenol-A (BPA) as an ingredient in plastic babies’ bottles and sippy cups, according to an Associated Press report of July 17, 2012.

Well, good for them. But in fact the FDA took action only after the agency was asked to do so by the American Chemistry Council, a chemical industry trade group. It turns out that plastics manufacturers had already voluntarily removed BPA from babies’s bottles and sippy cups. The American Chemistry Council had asked the FDA to ban BPA from these products largely to improve the public image of the industry and these products.

The FDA has argued for some time now that that the currently available scientific evidence does not support the conclusion that the amounts of BPA ingested by adults are unsafe. Nevertheless, the agency continues to review the evidence regarding to the safety of BPA in food packaging, and is likely to take action if and when it is warranted.