California state Assembly fails to pass BPA ban

By Sarah E. Brown

SACRAMENTO - Sept. 11, 2009. The California state Assembly failed to pass SB 797, a bill which would have banned the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from use in children's sippy cups, infant formula and other food and drink products designed for children aged three and younger.

More than 200 scientific studies have linked BPA, a synthetic estrogen used in many hard plastics, to reproductive disorders, prostate and breast cancer, autism, birth defects, infertility in men, early puberty in girls and other serious health risks.

Op Ed: California's new chemical laws: They fail to protect us.

In this point/counterpoint on Environmental Health News, CHANGE members Martha Dina Argüello and Kathy Attar from Physician's for Social Responsibility, Los Angeles offer a perspective on California's 2008 chemical laws.

The need to fundamentally change how California addresses toxic chemicals is clear. But the two new laws recently signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger do not even include the most basic elements needed to achieve this goal. There is widespread agreement that the way to achieve true reform is to shift the burden of proof to chemical manufacturers to provide chemical hazard trait information to the public and to show that chemicals are safe. These bills do not do anything of the kind.

Op Ed: California's new chemical laws: Good start, need work

In this point/counterpoint on Environmental Health News, Megan R. Schwarzman and Michael P. Wilson from the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of California, Berkeley offer a perspective on California's 2008 chemical laws.

California’s new laws represent a concerted step forward and signal the state’s willingness to tackle the complexities of chemicals policy. No other state has taken this step, and 30 years of federal policy have failed to adequately protect human health or motivate investment in safer alternatives.