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3 U.S. States ask baby product companies to stop using BPA

United States, October 14: On Monday, Connecticut's Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, a consumer and environmental advocate and his counterparts in Delaware, Beau Biden and New Jersey, Anne Milgram sent letters to 11 manufactures of baby bottles and formulas to stop using the chemical bisphenol or BPA voluntarily after studies linked it to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancerdefine.

Time and again studies come up which show that chemical bisphenol A is harmful and leads to serious health risks when the chemical leaches into food and beverages but still the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains that the chemical is entirely safe.

FDA Commissioner, Andrew C. von Eschenbach, said, "The science FDA has reviewed does not justify recommending that anyone discontinue using these products."

Meanwhile, in September this year, an FDA advisory panel noted that there is enough evidence to raise concerns about bisphenols impact on children's health.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a synthetic hormone that has been shown to leach out of a certain type of plastic when heated, jeopardizing the health of the babies and adults.

The product is used in baby bottles, toddler’s cups, water bottles, DVDs, compact discs, eyeglass lenses and other recipients. Bisphenols have also been used as antioxidantsdefine in cosmetics and foods.

"Unfortunately the federal agency, the Federal Food and Drug Administration, has been asleep at the switch, in fact resistant to respecting the scientific evidence that grave harm can result in use of this product," Blumenthal said.

Past month only, a British study showed that people who are exposed to increased amounts of chemical were more likely to report having heart disease, diabetes and liver abnormalities. However, the study didn’t come up with strong proof but scientists said the results deserve scientific follow-up.

Approximately 93 percent of people in the United States have traces of BPA in their urine, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In April, the Canadian government banned some of the products that used BPA and declared the chemical as “toxic.” Few American stores such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys "R" Us, have already said they're phasing out products that contain BPA.

On Friday, mail was sent to formula makers such as Abbott, Mead Johnson, PBM Products, Nature's One, Wyeth and baby bottle companies including Playtex Products Inc., Disney First Years, Gerber, Avent America Inc., Handicraft Co., and Evenflo Co.. Few companies, among them Playtex, have already replaced the chemical in their bottles.

The bottle manufactures can see an increase in the sales if they quit using BPAs in their products and label them as "BPA Free".

In a previous study, researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston suggested that BPA may lead to an increased risk of breast cancerdefine. Another study from Kyushu University, Japan, claimed that rats experienced changes in gender when they were exposed to heightened levels of Bisphenol A.

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