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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Lawrence Curry
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Public hearing held on Curry's bill that would ban toxins in baby products
HARRISBURG, Jan. 14 – The House Consumer Affairs Committee today held a public hearing on state Rep. Lawrence Curry's legislation (H.B. 221) that would prohibit the manufacture or sale in Pennsylvania of baby bottles, training cups, formula cans or other child-care items that contain bisphenol A.
"Bisphenol A, or BPA, is an estrogen-like chemical that can be especially dangerous to infants and toddlers. It has been linked to a range of health disorders including autism, prostate cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, early puberty, obesity and learning and behavioral problems," said Curry, D-Montgomery/Phila.
Curry said that for several years, the plastics industry has added BPA to hard, clear, durable plastics such as water bottles that are made out of polycarbonates.
"There is a great deal of new independent scientific evidence that has come out in recent months that details the health dangers posed by BPA," said Curry. "That is why I feel legislation is needed to ensure that BPA is no longer used in infant and toddler products made or sold in Pennsylvania, to give parents peace of mind."
The committee heard testimony from college professors, environmentalists and industry expert. Among those testifying was Rebecca Roberts, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Biology and coordinator of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program at Ursinus College. Roberts told the panel that BPA has been shown to leach from bottles and food cans into the packaged foodstuffs, and then enters the body through the digestive tract when those foods are consumed.
"The level of BPA released from plastic depends on the age and wear of the plastic, and on exposure to heat," she told the panel. "For example, one study showed that BPA leached from baby bottles subjected to simulated normal uses, including boiling, washing with a brush and dishwashing."
She added that plastic tableware such as those in some schools was also found to release BPA in hot vegetable soup.
Janet Gary, Ph.D., director of the Environmental Risks and Breast Cancer project, professor of Psychology and director of Science, Technology, and Society Program at Vassar College also testified and said that early life exposures to even low doses of BPA could have long-term and devastatingly adverse health effects. She said that some of those long-term effects include increased production of white fat cells by the time of weaning and associated later development of obesity and the onset of Type II diabetes and insulin resistance, altered regulation of the brain neurotransmitter dopamine and associated deficits in social behaviors, permanent changes in reproductive hormones and increased risk for breast and prostate cancers.
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House Bill 221 has bipartisan support in the House as well as support from Clean Water Action Pennsylvania, PennPIRG and the Environmental Working Group. The bill is currently under consideration in the House Consumer Affairs Committee.
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