In the News

California Bill to Ban BPA Rejected by State Assembly

Sep 22, 2009

A bill to ban bisphenol A (BPA) in California failed to pass the State Assembly prior to the end of the current legislative session. The "Toxin-free Toddlers and Babies Act" (SB 797) passed in the State Senate on June 2 by a vote of 21 to 16. However, even though the California Assembly voted on Sept. 9 in favor of the ban by a 35-32 margin (with 12 senators abstaining), supporters could not secure the 41 votes necessary for passage.

On Sept. 11, the day before the State Assembly went into recess, SB 797 was moved to the inactive file, which will allow it to be considered again in 2010. After the bill's defeat, Senator Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica), a co-sponsor of SB 797, issued a press release stating that she will "renew her effort to protect children from BPA during the next legislative session." SB 797 would have banned BPA at a level of 0.1 part per billion or greater in food and beverage containers specifically designed for children three years or younger.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) and others have urged California lawmakers to use a science-based approach to evaluating the safety of chemicals rather legislating chemical-by-chemical. Shortly after the California Senate voted in favor of SB 797 in June 2009, ACC issued a press release stating that if there is a need for further scientific review of BPA in California, it should be conducted in an open and transparent process under the state's Green Chemistry Initiative. (For more information on the initiative, see the PackagingLaw.com article, California's Green Chemistry Initiative: Impact and Update.)

In response to the Assembly vote to not ban BPA in the state, ACC told FoodProductionDaily.com, "The decision demonstrates that lawmakers would prefer that decisions on chemicals be made by the regulators and experts with the scientific expertise to evaluate those products. We will continue to work transparently with policy makers to provide accurate scientific information and communicate with the public about the safety of BPA."