PA Bill Would Ban BPA

A purportedly dangerous chemical in many children’s products may soon be prohibited in Pennsylvania.

Montgomery County Representative Lawrence Curry’s bill to ban child-care items that contain bisphenol A, or BPA, is in committee. Curry says BPA has for years been added to plastic baby bottles and food containers to make them rigid and transparent.

But Pennsylvania’s Clean Water Action Director Myron Arnowitt says BPA can mimic estrogen, leading to higher risk for breast cancer, obesity and heart disease.

Arnowitt says there has been considerable inaction regarding BPA at the federal level, so safety advocates are looking to the states for leadership.

Curry says Wal-Mart has already banned some products containing BPA.