Oregon’s state Senate rejected a bill this morning that would have banned BPA, or bisphenol-A, from baby bottles and sippy cups, after opponents concluded it might backfire on the state’s food industry.
Opponents of the ban also argued the market was already addressing the issue by switching to new materials. They estimated 90% of the bottles and sippy cups offered in Oregon are now BPA-free, according to a report by OregonLive.com, the website of The (Portland) Oregonian newspaper.
Opponents also said they feared the law would lead to a ban on BPA liners of canned food products even though few alternatives have emerged.
Senate Bill 1032 would have banned BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups beginning July 1, 2011. Similar bans have already been enacted in Minnesota and Connecticut, where lawmakers extended it to baby formula cans. Washington state lawmakers have also passed a ban in both chambers.
CamelBak, Nalgene and other prominent outdoor brands switched to BPA-free bottles in 2008 following an announcement by Canada’s health ministry that it had concerns over the chemical’s potential to mimic human hormones. The ensuing public health scare spurred robust sales of BPA-free water bottles well into last year even as experts debated the chemical’s impact on human health.
