Last week, Oregon's proposed BPA ban moved one step closer to fruition -- it passed the Oregon Senate by a 20-9 margin.
The bill, which would ban BPA from baby bottles, sippy cups and reusable water bottles, now moves to the Oregon House. The fight is expected to be a bit tougher in the House, but if it passes Governor Kitzhaber has declared his support for the bill and is expected to sign it.
Senator Chris Edwards, when speaking in favor of SB695, stated "Moms of Oregon are way ahead of the legislature on this ... we don't need BPA to produce baby bottles and sippy cups."
There is a new focus on the harms of bisphenol-A (BPA) -- the ubiquitous chemical that is used in food linings, hard plastic materials and even register receipts -- after a peer-reviewed study co-authored by The Breast Cancer Fund was released which found that removing BPA from a household's food packaging can reduce BPA exposure by 60% within 3 days of switching the family's diet.
This study was the first of its kind to really take a look at BPA in food packaging, and the overall impact on exposure. This is critical because BPA has been connected with health concerns like early puberty in children, diabetes, obesity, and reproductive issues in both men and women.
As part of the study, the Breast Cancer Fund released a list of the 10 Canned Foods to Avoid to reduce BPA Exposure -- coconut milk and soup are the highest on the list. This author has since replace the coconut milk in her cupboard with cans from Native Forest, which Treehugger has stated sells the only coconut milk in a BPA-free can that's commercially available.
Resources:
- Want to reduce BPA exposure? Cut canned foods from your diet, report says. Los Angeles Times, 03/30/11.
- Bisphenol-A Fact Sheet. Safer States.
- BPA-Free Oregon Facebook Page. For updates on the BPA fight in Oregon.
