Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will ban a chemical known as BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups made or sold in California.
Assembly Bill 1319 says that by July 1, 2013 bottles and cups made for children under age 3 may not contain bisphenol A, a common chemical in clear plastic containers.
Assemblywoman Betsy Butler, D-Marina Del Rey, introduced the billm arguing that BPA harms babies when it leaches from containers into their milk and food. She said growing children are especially vulnerable to the effects of the chemical, which she said is linked to birth defects, reproductive problems, impaired learning, hyperactivity and some forms of cancer.
The bill was supported by environmental groups, medical professionals, labor unions and consumer groups. It was opposed by chemical makers, employers and industry groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Manufacturers and Technology Association and the American Chemistry Council.
Opponents argued that BPA is safe in small doses and that any regulation of it should go through California's existing process for determining which chemicals are safe for use in consumer products.
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