California Lawmakers Considering Limiting Chemical In Baby Bottles

San Diego, CA (AHN) - Consumer anxiety over the possible adverse effects of a chemical commonly used in plastic baby bottles and baby formula cans has California lawmakers mulling whether to ban the chemical there.

If California lawmakers pass the proposal to restrict the chemical in products or food containers used by children younger than 3, it would become the first state to restrict bisphenol A.

While scientists know that bisphenol A can affect human hormones, they are uncertain what levels are unsafe. Chemical manufacturers argue that the levels currently found are safe and are lobbying hard to persuade California lawmakers not to restrict the chemical.

California is one of 12 states considering action to limit the chemical. Canada banned the chemical in April, becoming the first nation to act.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has not helped the issue by choosing to use hand-picked scientific studies endorsed by the chemical industry on bisphenol A's safety instead of peer-reviewed scientific studies. The chemical industry manufactures 7 billion pounds of the chemical every year and has reportedly spent $2.4 million lobbying against restricting the chemical during the first half of 2008.

All of this comes on the heels of a recent draft report by the National Toxicology Program, a partnership of federal health agencies.

The study was done using animal studies and scientists said in the draft report that they had "some concern" that the chemical can cause changes in behavior and in the brain. They also wrote that exposure to the chemical might reduce reduce survival and birth weight in fetuses.

Coincidentally, for the past several years, March of Dimes officials have said that scientists say there is an increase in the number of incidences of low birth weight babies in America.