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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Lawrence Curry
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Study links BPA to thyroid function
Curry: Evidence mounting that BPA is dangerous and should be banned from baby products
HARRISBURG, Aug. 4 – State Rep. Lawrence Curry is pointing to new research that found exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA) reduces thyroid function as further evidence that the House must take quick action on his bill (H.B. 192) that would ban the chemical from baby products sold and manufactured in Pennsylvania.
"Practically every day, new research confirms that BPA is dangerous to our health," said Curry, D-Montgomery/Phila. "And yet House Republican leaders refuse to move my legislation forward that would ban BPA from infant and toddler bottles and sippy cups sold or manufactured in this state."
Curry's bill would also prohibit manufacturers from replacing BPA with other reproductive toxicants that could cause birth defects or harm the growth and development of infants and toddlers.
The latest research by University of Michigan researchers found that the more BPA in a person's body, the more likely they were to show impaired thyroid function. The thyroid gland controls how quickly the body uses energy, makes proteins and controls how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.
BPA is an estrogen-like chemical found in many everyday items, including:
· Plastic baby bottles and sippy cups
· Reusable plastic bottles and food containers
· Drink and food cans
· Dental sealants
· Cash register receipts
It can leach from the containers into the packaged food when heated, and then enters the body through the digestive tract. There it can cause a range of health problems, such as breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and autism, learning disorders and early puberty in children.
House Bill 192 has been in the House Health Committee since April 6. Curry has sent a letter to Chairman Matthew Baker, R-Bradford/Tioga, requesting the bill be released from committee for a vote by the full House.
BPA baby bottles are banned in eight states: New York, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont and Minnesota. California is considering such a ban.
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