The six major baby bottle makers in the United States have
agreed to stop using the toxic chemical Bisphenol-A, suspected
of harming human development, local officials said.
"All six major baby bottle companies - Avent, Disney First
Years, Gerber, Dr. Brown, Playtex and Evenflow - have agreed to
voluntarily ban BPA from bottles in a major public health
victory," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said
in a statement.
Blumenthal and his counterparts in New Jersey and Delaware wrote
in October to the companies urging them to stop using the
controversial chemical, widespread in plastic, after studies
linked BPA to a range of health problems in infants.
Over 130 studies over the past decade have linked even low
levels of BPA to serious health problems, breast cancer, obesity
and the early onset of puberty, among other disorders.
"There is no excuse for this avoidable and unconscionable threat
to continue," Blumenthal said.
"I am calling for a complete ban against BPA in baby products to
stop this needless and negligent public health threat."
Toxicologists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found
last year that the chemical could interfere with the brain
development of fetuses and newborns.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its European
counterpart, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), have
said the chemical is safe in the amounts used in such products
as baby bottles.