“In a move that will in effect ban a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) from being used in baby bottles and toddler cups manufactured or sold in California, a bill known as the Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act (AB 1319) was signed into law Tuesday night by Governor Jerry Brown.
A number of Oakland-based parents’ groups and environmental organizations were supporters of the bill, including Making our Milk Safe (MOMS), the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), and the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which has its California office in Oakland. Mary Brune, MOMS project director, called the signing of AB 1319 a victory for California parents. “We have voices. We have power,” she said.
BPA, which is found in many plastic food and beverage containers, is considered an endocrine disruptor, which means that it can act like an artificial hormone when it enters the human body, according to a 2008 National Toxicology Program brief that examined the effects of BPA exposures on human health, reproduction, and development. In that report, the group concluded that there was “some concern for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bispohenol A.”
Read the rest of the story by Megan Molteni at Oakland North.