On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FBA) banned baby bottles and children’s sippy cups from containing bisphenol A, or BPA, which is often used to make plastic bottles and food wrapping.
Years ago, manufacturers willingly stopped using the soft supplement in baby bottles and zippy cups. So, the FDA’s announcement to ban the additive should not cause too much of a stir.
Bewilderment over whether BPA was in the toddler cups and baby bottles “had become an unnecessary distraction to consumers, legislators and state regulators,” said spokesman Steven Hentges in a statement. “FDA action on this request now provides certainty.”
Many organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC have long been arguing that BPA should be abolished from all food packaging due to the chemical acting like estrogen in the body. However, there was no cause for concern when government scientists ran tests.
During a study, scientists placed people on a diet that consisted of BPA from juice in plastic containers and canned foods. The researchers were testing whether or not the biologically active form of the chemical would cause harm when it got into the bloodstream.
According to Justin Teeguarden, a senior research scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Washington, it did not cause harm. He added that BPA in the blood stayed “below our limit of detection.”