Sunday, December 5, 2010

Ban on hazardous baby bottles pushed

Children’s health and safety advocates on Wednesday urged the government to follow the ban imposed by the European Union on toxic chemical present in plastic feeding bottles.

The Save Babies Coalition and the EcoWaste Coalition said President Benigno Aquino III should issue an order to ban a health-damaging chemical known as bisphenol A or BPA in plastic baby bottles.

The European Commission announced last week a manufacture ban on polycarbonate plastic infant bottles containing BPA, an industrial chemical, effective March 2011 in EU’s 27-member countries.

Also, starting June 1 next year the placing on the market and the importation into the EU of these bottles will be prohibited.

“May the ban on BPA be President Aquino’s and Health Secretary Enrique Ona’s early Christmas gift to our babies and children, our future, who are most susceptible to toxic harm,” said Ines Fernandez of the Save Babies Coalition, who likewise reminded mothers the benefits of breastfeeding such as higher IQ (intelligence quotient) and emotional security.

BPA, a chemical used in polycarbonate baby bottles and in epoxy resins for canned foods and beverages, has been linked to reproductive and developmental problems, including disruptions to the body’s hormonal system.

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