Informing Consumers About the Dangers of BPA

Dear Californian:

Consumers have enough on their minds without having to worry about whether they are risking exposure to dangerous chemicals in everyday items that are supposed to be safe.

Yet bisphenol A (BPA), a man-made chemical used in thousands of consumer products to harden plastic, line tin cans, make CDs, and coat receipts, is a known endocrine disruptor, which means it interferes with how hormones work in the body.

BPA has been linked to a range of adverse health effects including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, early puberty, obesity, and behavioral problems.

Right now, we do not know our daily exposure to BPA, or which products to avoid, since BPA is not listed on food or drink labels. That is why I have introduced legislation to require food containers that contain BPA to be labeled as such. I’m especially concerned about the effects of BPA on children, who may be particularly vulnerable to its effects because of their small size and rapid development.

Some organizations claim that BPA has not been proven harmful, so they continue to use it in the products we use every day. They’ll tell you not to worry, the BPA lining in canned food couldn’t possibly hurt you. Moms and grandmothers like me know better. They once told us it was OK to smoke cigarettes while you’re pregnant, too.

This is a simple step to begin combating this problem. Parents have the right to know if the food they are purchasing contains BPA. I will continue to fight to improve product labeling and reduce exposure to this dangerous chemical.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein

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RESEARCH SHOWSAn overwhelming body of scientific evidence links BPA to very serious health problems. Hundreds of scientific studies link BPA exposure to different types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, diseases of the reproductive and immune systems ‘and obesity.

Puberty and fertility

• Numerous studies have found that puberty in both girls and boys is occurring earlier than in the past.

• Researchers suspect that environmental chemicals, especially endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA, likely influence the onset of puberty.

• A 2012 study of women at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center in Boston found a correlation between concentrations of BPA in their bodies and failure in efforts to succeed with in vitro fertilization.

Disease

• A 2014 University of Michigan study is one of the first to show a significant association between BPA and cancer development. The study demonstrated that mice exposed during gestation and nursing to BPA through their mother’s diet developed liver tumors and some precancerous lesions.

Societal Costs

• A recent analysis by a New York University School of Medicine professor suggests that BPA exposure was associated with 12,404 cases of childhood obesity and 33,863 cases of newly

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incident coronary heart disease, with estimated social costs of $2.98 billion. The author suggests that removing BPA from food products could prevent 6,236 cases of childhood obesity and 22,350 cases of newly incident coronary heart disease each year, with potential annual economic benefits of $1.74 billion.

GROWING CONCERNWell-known and respected organizations and federal agencies also have expressed concern about endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), particularly BPA:

Summarizing a 2012 international report, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program concluded that “the convergence of wildlife, laboratory animal, and epidemiology data suggests a greater role for EDCs in disease, even more than was predicted just 10 years ago.”

A scientific statement by The Endocrine Society—the world’s oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology—notes that the “evidence for adverse reproductive outcomes (infertility, cancers, malformations) from exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals is strong, and there is mounting evidence for effects on other endocrine systems.”

The President’s Cancer Panel Annual Report released in April 2010 concluded that there is growing evidence of a link between BPA and several diseases, such as cancer. The panel recommended using BPA-free containers to limit chemical exposure.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSWhat is BPA?

• Bisphenol A is a synthetic chemical used to harden polycarbonate plastics, line metal cans, and coat thermal paper (such as cash register receipts).

• BPA is an endocrine disruptor, which means it interferes with how hormones work in the body.

• In the past, this chemical was used in some plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and food and infant formula containers. It has since been banned for use in these items, but work remains to raise awareness and ultimately remove BPA from everyday products.

Why is there cause for concern?

• BPA is so widespread that the chemical has been detected in the bodies of 90 percent of Americans.

• The chemical has been linked to various forms of cancer, early puberty, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and more.

• Babies, children and girls and boys entering puberty are particularly at risk because of their stage of development.

What can I do?

• Buy products that are labeled “BPA-free.”

• When possible, buy glass or other alternative food packaging.

• Don’t microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers.

• Support retailers that refuse to sell products containing BPA, using well-studied alternatives that do not effect consumers.

• Urge your state and federal legislators to pass legislation requiring that food packaging using BPA is clearly labeled.

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ENSURING PROPER LABELINGSenator Feinstein in March 2015 introduced the BPA in Food Packaging Right to Know Act. The bill would require all products that contain BPA to be clearly labeled with this message: “This food packaging contains BPA, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, according to the National Institutes of Health.” This simple message would allow consumers to make informed decisions.

Exposure to BPA is most common through food packaging, such as the lining of cans, and consumers deserve factual information about the items they purchase for their families at the grocery store.

This bill would also direct the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a safety assessment of food containers containing BPA and BPA alternatives to determine if there is reasonable certainty that low-dose, long-term exposure will not cause negative health effects in humans.

Senator Feinstein’s bill has been endorsed by several public health organizations, including the American Public Health Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American Nurses Association.

Examples of how some food companies are labeling BPA-free cans.

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GO BPA-FREEFood packaging that contains BPA is generally not labeled as such. However, some food manufacturers have eliminated BPA in the products they sell and often label their food packaging as being “BPA-Free.”

Canned soup, vegetables and frozen foods are all available in BPA-free packaging. In addition, BPA-free reusable water bottles and food containers are available from many companies.

Although they can be more difficult to find, many retailers across California and the country sell BPA-free alternatives. Consumers can vote with their pocketbooks by choosing to buy products clearly labeled as “BPA-free” whenever possible.

BPA exposure from receiptsReceipts from many retail and banking outlets—grocery stores, ATMs and other locations—are often coated with a thermal layer that contains BPA. Scientists believe that BPA from the surface of receipts can be absorbed into the human body. An analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that individuals who had increased exposure to thermal receipts also had elevated levels of BPA in their bodies.

Alternatives to the use of BPA in receipt paper exist. The EPA has released a report outlining 19 chemicals that could replace BPA in the manufacture of thermal paper, and some retailers have switched to BPA-free receipts.

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BPA IN BABY PRODUCTSOn July 17, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration withdrew its support for using BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups. This ensures that these products for toddlers and babies do not contain BPA. The FDA subsequently announced that BPA would also be banned from use in the lids and cans of baby formula.

Many manufacturers had previously eliminated the use of BPA in products for infants and toddlers because of consumer pressure. The action by the FDA ensures that consumers can know with certainty that these products for children are free of BPA.

The FDA’s action mirrors actions taken by other countries. Canada labeled BPA a toxic substance, and banned it from baby bottles and sippy cups. Denmark and France have national bans on BPA in certain children’s products and the European Union has a ban on BPA in baby bottles. China also prohibits the use of BPA in baby bottles.

It is important for the FDA to continue to protect consumers by banning the use of BPA in other products.

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FOR MORE INFORMATIONIf you would like more information on this important issue, please visit Senator Feinstein’s website at www.feinstein.senate.gov or contact these organizations:

U.S. Department of Health & Human Serviceswww.hhs.gov/safety/bpa/

Environmental Working Group(202) 667-6982www.ewg.org/key-issues/toxics/bpa

Breast Cancer Fund(866) 760-8223www.breastcancerfund.org

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)www.niehs.nih.gov

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein331 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510www.feinstein.senate.gov

04/16 224244