House and Senate lawmakers passed a bill yesterday to introduce a federal ban on bisphenol A (BPA) in all food and beverage containers.

 

Six major producers of baby bottles including Playtex and Gerber have reacted to the ban and removed the chemical substance from their production process. The ban was passed just one day after gas and chemical company Sunoco said it is no longer selling BPA to companies that use it to produce food and water containers for children younger than 3. 

 

The bills to ban companies from using BPA in food and beverage containers were introduced by Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

 

The latest tests on the BPA issue revealed that the containers of food and beverage contained high levels of the chemical. High levels of BPA in food and beverage containers can cause neurological and developmental damage and infants are highly exposed to its effects. 

 

Researchers tested the chemical on lab animals and found out that the BPA caused genital defects, behavioral changes and anomalous development of mammary glands similar in women with higher risk for breast cancer.

 

However, the major baby bottles manufacturers said they will continue to sell their products in the United Kingdom. This caused anger in many people who have been campaigning against the BPA-containing products, but the Food Standards Agency said the plastic products sold in the UK contain the chemical, but in levels that are not harmful, BBC reported. 

 

Numerous studies into the effects of BPA-products used to store food and beverage showed that the controversial chemical, in high levels, can cause a series of illnesses such as breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, hyperactivity, obesity, low sperm count and miscarriage.