As studies continue to link bisphenol-A (BPA) with all sorts of health problems, states and cities are banning the chemical from baby bottles and sippy cups and Congress is considering a ban in all food containers. This worries industry groups, who last week held a private meeting to devise strategy to protect the use of BPA. Someone sent the notes to the Washington Post.
As you might expect, it’s a pretty cynical meeting. The groups in attendance proposed a $500,000 PR campaign to “get the BPA perspective in the media mix.” Possible ways to do this include trying to scare consumers with misleading warnings like “Do you want to have access to baby food anymore?” or parading a young pregnant woman around to talk about the great things that BPA can do for her and her baby.
The Post quotes from the notes, but the blog Effect Measure has what it claims to be the entire summary, available here.
We’ve written before about the many adverse health effects that are being linked to BPA exposure, like increased instances of prostate and breast cancer, diabetes, and numerous reproductive system defects. A Harvard study last month found clear evidence that containers made with BPA, like hard plastic sports bottles, leach BPA into people’s bodies.
Congress will soon consider the Ban Poisonous Additives Act, sponsored by Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Cal.), which would ban the chemical in all food containers, including baby bottles, reusable sport bottles, and canned goods. Retailers like Target and Babies R Us have already pulled BPA products from their shelves and replaced them with similarly priced BPA-free alternatives, and at least three canned food producers use BPA-free linings in their cans, demonstrating that alternatives already exist at similar prices.