[Pharmwaste] Ban sought on chemicals (bisphenol-A) in child products by Minnesota

[DeBiasi,Deborah]

http://www.twincities.com/ci_8363103?nclick_check=1

Ban sought on chemicals in child products

Legislators hear conflicting views on two types of plastics
By Jeremy Olson 
jolson at pioneerpress.com

Article Last Updated: 02/25/2008 11:47:48 PM CST


If Minnesota bans certain plastics chemicals from baby bottles and other
children's products this year, it might be the first state to do so. 

While other states have considered a ban on bisphenol-A (BPA) - which
some research has linked to developmental problems in children and
reproductive issues - they never passed one into law. San Francisco
prohibited BPA from child products in 2006, but the city repealed the
ban last year. 

Whether Minnesota should be a pioneer was a matter of sharp dispute
Monday during a state Senate committee hearing - the first this session
over a proposed ban. 

BPA is used in baby bottles, can linings, dental fillings and medical
equipment, but would only be banned in products intended for children
younger than 3 years of age. Phthalates likewise would be banned from
toys such as rubber duckies or teething rings. 

"By eliminating unnecessary exposure ... Minnesota will be a national
leader in protecting children from these toxic chemicals," said Sen.
Sandy Rummel, DFL-White Bear Lake, who wrote the Senate version of the
ban. 

Opponents argued that BPA levels in child products are too small to
cause harm. They also argued that environmental groups are ignoring
favorable research results as well as 50 years of history with BPA
products. 

"Bisphenol-A is not banned by any government body in the world," said
Julie Goodman, a consulting scientist from Massachusetts. She has served
on two national panels that found no evidence of BPA causing
reproductive problems. Goodman and another medical expert testified at
the request of the American Chemistry Council, which represents the
chemical industry. 

Earlier this month, an environmental report found disturbing levels of
BPA in baby bottles that were heated to 176 degrees. (The heating was
designed to simulate prolonged use and multiple washes.) While the
levels were well below the limits permitted by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, they were also higher than the levels that caused
health problems in animals in some research studies. 

Many manufacturers are already offering BPA-free products, including
baby bottles, that can be found at major retailers, said Lindsay Dahl of
Healthy Legacy, which is part of an environmental coalition that
released the report. 

"Safer products exist. They're currently on the market today. We just
need to phase out these chemicals," she said. 

Unlike BPA, certain types of phthalates already have been banned in the
European Union and will soon be banned in California. A transplant from
Denmark testified that the state ban would put her at ease. 

"The world of consumer products is a jungle," Lisa Stolt Rasmussen, of
Woodbury, said. "I should be able to go into a store and have confidence
that the product I'm buying is safe for my family." 

The proposed ban would take effect Jan. 1, 2009, which would coincide
with the California ban on phthalates that lawmakers in that state have
already approved. 

Several other states are considering bans of BPA or phthalates, or both,
this year. 

The Senate Committee on Health, Housing and Family Security voted to
advance the ban to a commerce committee. Eight DFL lawmakers voted to
advance the bill; four Republicans voted against it. 

Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, challenged whether a ban is needed when
the marketplace is already offering alternatives. He also questioned the
legitimacy of the environmental research, and whether anyone has proven
that the alternative plastics are safer.



Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email:   dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permit Programs
Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218 (NEW!)
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219
PH:         804-698-4028
FAX:      804-698-4032