Historic Bill Signing by Governor Doyle Makes Wisconsin 3rd State To Ban BPA
Madison, WI – Today, Governor Doyle signed the BPA Free Kids Act into law, making Wisconsin the third state in the nation to ban the toxic chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA), from children’s products.
“Wisconsin is leading the way with today’s signing of the BPA Free Kids Act. This is a historic day for toxics reform, public health and consumer protection, but this is just the first step” said Bruce Speight, WISPIRG Director. “Our kids are exposed to thousands of toxics chemicals, most of which are on the market with little to no safety testing. We are just starting to see the health effects; we must build on this important victory for the health of our kids and for the health of all of us.”
The BPA Free Kids Act prohibits the manufacture and sale at the wholesale level of baby bottles and sippy cups that contain BPA. It also requires that these bottles and sippy cups be clearly labeled as being “BPA Free.” The law will go into effect 90 days from today.
BPA is a synthetic sex hormone that can disrupt the human endocrine system, which regulates growth and development. In the past decade, studies link even tiny doses of BPA to serious adverse health effects including breast and prostate cancer, heart disease, thyroid disease, early puberty in girls, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, diabetes and obesity. 93% of Americans tested by the Centers for Disease Control had detectable levels in their urine.
Children are the most exposed (through baby bottles, sippy cups, etc.) to bisphenol A, at a critical time in their growth and development. Since BPA mimics the hormone estrogen, fetuses and children are most vulnerable to exposure to BPA. The CDC study mentioned above found that children had the highest levels of BPA, followed by teens and adults.
On January 15, 2010, U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that they share the concern expressed more than a year ago by the National Toxicology Project for Bisphenol A’s impact on human development and registered concern for “the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children.”
“WISPIRG thanks Sen. Lassa and Rep. Roys for their leadership in passing this important public health bill and the Governor for signing this bill,” concluded Speight. “The federal government should follow Wisconsin’s lead and pass HR1523, the Ban Poisonous Additives Act.”
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WISPIRG is a statewide non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization. www.wispirg.org.
