BPA in plastic bottles

Released on 01/12/2009

Breast Cancer UK – BPA campaign   

Jay Francis, NCT Campaigner, at NCT; says; 

“We fully support Breast Cancer UK taking action against the use of BPA in baby bottles and have been calling for these steps for several years. With such strong public feeling against this chemical, as shown by this survey, the UK Government must follow Canada and the USA in protecting babies by legislating against its use in making baby bottles, formula tins and baby food containers.”  

Background

Breast Cancer UK today launches a campaign calling on the Government to take action to end the use of controversial chemical, Bisphenol-A (commonly abbreviated to BPA), in baby bottles. 

This call is backed by NCT (National Childbirth Trust), UNISON, The Women’s Environmental Network, the Cancer Prevention and Education Society and CHEM Trust. 

Already voluntarily withdrawn from shelves in Canada and the USA, polycarbonate baby bottle made with BPA are still available in the UK, despite our view being that clear and compelling scientific evidence in lab experiments have linked even low level exposure to increased risk of breast cancer and other chronic conditions. 

In the first survey of its type ever conducted, just under four in of five (79%) of the public either strongly agree (50%) or agree (29%) ‘that it is important that the UK Government acts in a precautionary way when it comes to protecting babies and very young children from BPA’. 

Women feel even more strongly, those agreeing or strongly agreeing rises to just under 17 in 20 (84%).  While 61% of the public think the UK Government should ‘act to end the use of BPA in baby bottles’ 61% and only 10% think the Government ‘should follow the current FSA guidelines and leave things as they are’. 

The No More BPA campaign is being launched just a day after an expected announcement on BPA, due on the 30th of November 2009, from the US Food and Drug Administration, that have similar regulatory authority on food contact products and public health as do the UK Food Standards Agency. 

Baby bottle manufacturers, anticipating the Canadian ban as well as expected regulatory action in the US, have already withdrawn baby bottles made with BPA from shelves. 

The plastic recycling number 7 is sometimes imprinted on polycarbonate plastics, but as the number 7 code is used as the catchall for ‘other plastics’, even this limited labelling is very unclear.  

ENDS 

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