CA Assembly Fails to Pass BPA Bill

Thank you to Anne Fitten Glenn — aka “Edgy Mama” — for mentioning MotherTalkers and the BPA bill, SB 797, I was advocating for on behalf of MomsRising.org.

I thought I would update you on that bill, which would have banned the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic baby and toddler products like bottles and sippy cups: It was favored by the Assembly 35-32, unfortunately, it did not garner the 41 votes necessary to pass. Here is how individual Assemblymembers voted.

Here is a statement by Sen. Fran Pavley, who sponsored and fought her heart out for this important bill:

California was poised to join Canada, Minnesota, Connecticut and several other cities and counties in the United States that, with significant bi-partisan support, have enacted bans on BPA in baby bottles and other feeding products for children. “The science on BPA clearly shows cause for alarm,“ said Senator Pavley. “Every child from every community in our state deserves access to safe, affordable products. I don’t understand how some lawmakers are willing to ignore science and risk the health of California children.“

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an artificial hormone that is widely used in shatter-proof plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and the lining of formula cans. It leaches out of containers and into food and drink consumed by babies and young children.

More than 220 peer-reviewed studies have linked BPA to a host of health host of health problems, including breast and prostrate cancer, infertility, obesity, and neurological and behavioral changes, including autism and hyperactivity.

Senator Pavley’s SB 797 was co-authored by Senator Carol Liu, D – Pasadena, and was sponsored by Breast Cancer Fund, Environmental Working Group and Physicians for Social Responsibility. The bill received widespread support from health care professionals, business owners and a long and diverse list of organizations including; Black Women for Wellness, Latinas for Reproductive Justice, The Help Group for Autism Spectrum Disorders, California Teachers Association, California Nurses Association, Asian Health Services, and California Women Infants and Children (WIC), SEIU, California Labor Federation, and Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice to name a few.  The opponents include BPA manufacturers Dow and SABIC Innovative Plastics, as well as infant formula makers Abbott, Mead Johnson, and Nestle.

Pavley went into details on the lies and distortions coming from the formula industry like there would be an automatic recall of formula cans — the ban would not have taken effect until 2011 — and there are no alternatives to BPA-lined cans, even though they themselves are marketing “BPA-Free” products.

She also released sample minutes from a meeting involving the corporate food, chemical industry and its allies employing fear tactics to extend the shelf life of BPA products. Our GiGi covered that story in a diary here.

I won’t lie. I am especially disappointed in the Dems who abstained, when it was clear that the opposition was all corporate lobbyists and their largely Republican friends. Ugh.