On the 14th of March 2009 the BBC reported that the makers of babies’ bottles in the US are to remove a controversial chemical from their products, amid growing concern over its possible effects.  The six manufacturers say they are reacting to consumer demand by removing Bisphenol A (BPA) from their bottles.

But they will continue selling bottles containing BPA in the UK, a decision which has angered campaigners.

The Food Standards Agency insists BPA in UK plastic products is “well below the levels considered harmful”.

Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, said: “It’s time the companies in the UK followed suit with what the companies in America and Canada are doing.

“We shouldn’t have bottles on the market that leach BPA. Parents would like to choose not have BPA in their babies’ feeds and they don’t find that choice easy right now.”   Belinda Phipps, CEO of National Childbirth Trust

For Continued Use of BPA

The US Food and Drug Administration says it is reviewing new information on BPA, while in Britain, the FSA says it has looked into the potential risks and found exposure levels to be well below that considered harmful.

Steve Elliot, chief executive of the Chemical Industries Association, said: “There’s been lots of work done, whether it’s been by the Food and Drug Administration in the States, whether it’s by the Food Standards Authority at a European level or the FSA in the UK.

Against Continued Use of BPA

Dr Howard Stoate, a member of the Commons health committee, said the American companies had made the right decision.   ”This chemical has been called into question,” he said.

“More research clearly needs to be done, [but] as a precaution I think these companies are right to withdraw it and I would like to see the FSA in this country looking hard at the research and taking the view that until we know the full truth we ought to be very cautious about these chemicals.” Lots of data, lots of research and none of those tests suggest that there is a risk to human health.

Source: BBC News: Baby Bottle Chemical is Removed