Europe may Soon Enforce a Ban on Baby Bottles With Bisphenol-A

Europe is likely to enforce a ban on baby bottles which contain the chemical Bisphenol-A,owing to its adverse effects on child health, the European Commission said.

European Union health commissioner John Dalli wants to pull such bottles off shop shelves across the 27-nation bloc because of the "uncertainties" about its effects on infants, his spokesman Frederic Vincent told AFP.

BPA Used in Baby Bottles Poses No Health Risks: EU Agency
Bisphenol-A, a chemical used in baby bottles that is banned in Australia, Denmark, Canada and France, poses no health risks, the European Food Safety Authority said Friday.

Only two EU countries, France and Denmark, have imposed bans on baby bottles with Bisphenol-A. Danish authorities went a step further by extending the prohibition to all food products for children up to three years old.

Bans are also in place in Australia, Canada and a few US states. Canada became in October the first country in the world to classify Bisphenol-A as a toxic substance despite industry opposition.

Dalli met with people from the industry to come up with a proposal and intends to draft legislation in the first quarter of 2011, Vincent said.

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Exposure to high levels of Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical compound found in baby bottles and plastic containers, increases the risk of male sexual dysfunction, according to a new study.

The European Parliament called in June for a ban on the manufacturing and sale of baby bottles containing Bisphenol-A.

Dalli decided to draft legislation after the European Food Safety Authority issued in September an opinion by experts on the chemical.

Baby Bottles Banned in France
Baby bottles containing chemical Bisphenol A, harmful to human development have been banned in France.

The report confirmed that Bisphenol-A was safe in very small quantities but also pointed to "areas of uncertainty" based on new studies, Dalli said in a statement on October 7.

"It cannot be excluded that there might be an effect on the development, immune response or tumour promotion," Dalli said.

Six US Firms Agree To Stop Using Bisphenol-A In Baby Bottles
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.

Legislation proposed by the commission must be approved by EU states and the European Parliament.

Source-AFP