The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that bottles with BPA are to be phased out following rising public concern and a safety review ordered by US health regulators. There's an interesting article also at the Herald Sun.
The Australian Greens are actually calling on the Federal Government to immediately ban BPA for use in all baby products as our food regulators can not guarantee the safety of such products.
"The Government is potentially exposing Australian babies to unnecessary harm by leaving products containing BPA on supermarket shelves," said Australian Greens Health spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert. "There is a growing body of evidence that the chemical BPA used in plastics, including food packaging, is harmful to humans even in minute quantities and is unsuitable for use in baby bottles or other products. "
Children's products containing BPA have already been banned in Denmark, Canada and a number of states in the US. "The voluntary phase out the Government announced last week is not enough. "The Greens questioned FSANZ on the safety of BPA earlier this year, but reports today indicate they may have been concealing information from the Senate. "What tests has FSANZ done? These should be released immediately along with all evidence it has on BPA.
2 comments:
Dear Editor (Essential Baby, BabyCentre.com.au, Mother & Baby)
I came across this and thought it important to share with new and expecting mums so am writing to suggest it for your site.
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that bottles with BPA are to be phased out following rising public concern and a safety review ordered by US health regulators. There's an interesting article also at the Herald Sun.
The Australian Greens are actually calling on the Federal Government to immediately ban BPA for use in all baby products as our food regulators can not guarantee the safety of such products.
"The Government is potentially exposing Australian babies to unnecessary harm by leaving products containing BPA on supermarket shelves," said Australian Greens Health spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert. "There is a growing body of evidence that the chemical BPA used in plastics, including food packaging, is harmful to humans even in minute quantities and is unsuitable for use in baby bottles or other products. "Children's products containing BPA have already been banned in Denmark, Canada and a number of states in the US. "The voluntary phase out the Government announced last week is not enough. "The Greens questioned FSANZ on the safety of BPA earlier this year, but reports today indicate they may have been concealing information from the Senate. "What tests has FSANZ done? These should be released immediately along with all evidence it has on BPA.
I've looked online to see what bottles/cups are BPA free - its hard to tell for absolute sure but I think most brands have a "BPA free" version, so maybe Mum's should be encouraged to check before they buy.
Anyway, I agree with the Greens - its not an issue that should be taken lightly and more information should be available to parents so they can make an informed choice about the products they buy for their baby.
Sincerely
A young mum.
Also posted at http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/forums/index.php?showtopic=807552 and http://boards.babycenter.com.au/n/pfx/forum.aspx?sr=y&msg=374.1&nav=messages&webtag=bcAUFeeding
Quick Letter to the Editor
The Australian
On the issue of the safety or otherwise of Bisphenol A (BPA) in packaging and items such as babies' bottles however, I am heartened by Health spokesperson for the Greens, Rachel Siewert's approach. She says that there is enough international evidence on the danger of the chemical to ban it, rather than the voluntary phase out introduced last week. Apparently the Greens questioned FSANZ on the safety of BPA earlier this year, but reports today indicate they may have been concealing information from the Senate. I wonder what FSANZ knows that we all need to know?
Post a Comment