On April 13, 2010, Governor Martin O'Malley signed the BPA-free Baby Bottles Act into law. Maryland became the fifth state to ban BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups.
Congratulations! You spoke, the Maryland General Assembly listened. Today the Maryland Senate passed the BPA-Free Baby Bottle Act
46-0, making Maryland the fourth state to ban the chemical from baby
bottles and sippy cups.
Parents’ top concern is to ensure their children grow up in a safe, healthy environment.
Yet, untested chemicals are putting our
children’s health at serious risk. No law requires chemical companies to demonstrate that their
chemicals are safe before they are added to the products people use everyday. With time, more and more harmful chemicals are
showing up in our homes and our places of business, from the toner of the office
copier to baby bottles to the couches our children sit on.
Children's health is particularly at risk. The main reason is children's organs are underdeveloped and constantly maturing, leaving them susceptible to the effects of toxic chemicals.
The good news is safe substitutes exist. Furniture-maker Ikea has phased out the use of Deca-BDE. Electronics companies such as Apple, Dell, Sony and Hewlett Packard have also eliminated Deca-BDE from their products. Many baby bottle companies now sell BPA-free baby bottles. Retailers such as Wal-Mart and Toys R Us have committed to keeping children's products with BPA off store shelves.
In the 2010 legislative session, Maryland PIRG advocated to restrict two
toxic chemicals. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical that mimics estrogen
and is commonly found in baby bottles, sippy cups, food containers, and
certain food cans. Deca-BDE is a toxic flame retardant added mainly to
electronics but is also found in couches, mattresses and rugs. A bill
to ban BPA in baby bottles in sippy cups was signed by Governor O'Malley
on April 13, 2010, and a bill to ban the toxic flame retardant was
signed by the Governor on May 4, 2010.
Bisphenol A is not only found in polycarbonate plastic such as baby bottles, it's also in most food cans.
