Tomorrow the California State Assembly Health Committee is scheduled to vote on SB 797,which would ban BPA in baby bottles, sippy cups, infant formula and baby food jars designed for children three-years-old and younger. We are urging the Assembly Health Committee to pass SB 797 when it is heard this week.
. However, the BPA lobby is well funded and strong (Read
) and the FDA has failed to take any measures to protect public health and has not considered hundreds of scientific studies in their safety assessment.
While we would like to see BPA banned in all products that come into contact with foods and beverages, we applaud California State Senator Pavley for authoring this important bill and making this effort to protect infants and small children, who are most vulnerable to developmental problems from exposure to BPA. Nearly every week, we read that another state or municipality has put forward legislation to ban BPA in products that expose children to harm. California should follow their lead.
Dear Consumer's Union
The time is now to protect California's children from a potentially dangerous chemical – On Tuesday, September 8, The State Assembly will vote on California’s Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act (SB 797). We need to get the word out to consumers and Assembly members to Vote Yes.
This bill would limit, to just trace amounts, the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) in all foods and beverages containers designed for children ages three years and younger. Our children should never be exposed to potentially dangerous chemicals especially in their baby bottles, sippy cups, formula cans and baby food jars.
BPA is a chemical found in the lining of cans and in many plastic products. The chemical can leach into those products, and then into humans, where it can remain for life. Recent studies have linked BPA exposure to problems with liver function, an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. BPA has been linked to a variety of diseases including an increased risk of disorders of the brain, reproductive problems, and immune systems diseases.
The safety standard used for BPA exposure is more than 20 years old and based on only a few animal studies. Since the standard was established, hundreds of studies have been published in the scientific literature that show potential health effects, especially reproductive effects, at much lower doses.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging further investigations of this chemical, and the Food and Drug Administration just recently announced it will do a full review of the safety of BPA.
As the federal government debates the issue, I urge you to take action right now to protect California's children from this unnecessary risk. Other states already are doing so -- Minnesota outlawed baby food containers made with BPA, Connecticut recently passed a ban, and the city of Chicago and Suffolk County, N.Y., banned baby bottles and sippy cups made with the chemical. Some 20 states are considering similar laws; by sharing this legislation with your City Visions’ listeners on KALW-FM, you can help keep California a leader in protecting our children's health.
Containers are available that don't contain this dangerous chemical, so there is absolutely no good reason to put our kids at unnecessary risk.
Please review the embedded release below for full details and contact me at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Renee Cooper, Account Executive
Christie Communications
800 Garden St., Ste. B
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
P. 805.962-1347
rcooper@christiecomm.com
www.christiecomm.com
MEDIA ALERT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Renee Cooper Shelley Aronoff
Christie Communications Green to Grow
Tel: (805) 962-1347 Tel: (323) 257-4769
Email: rcooper@christiecomm.com Email: shelley@greentogrow.com
BPA-FREE BABY BOTTLE MANUFACTURER GREEN TO GROW URGES PUBLIC TO DEMAND SUPPORT FOR CALIFORNIA’S TOXICS-FREE BABIES AND TODDLERS’ ACT (SB 797)
Slated for Vote September 8, California State Assembly Bill 797 Proposes a Ban of BPA in Food and Beverage Containers Designed for Children Aged Three Years and Younger
LOS ANGELES – September 4, 2009 – Green to Grow, a leading Los Angeles-based manufacturer of BPA-free baby bottles that provide a safe alterative to polycarbonate products containing Bisphenol A (BPA) - a chemical currently banned in Canada, Minnesota, Connecticut and under scrutiny in several European nations - is urging the public and California Assembly members to support the Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act (SB 797). Introduced by Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica), the bill was passed by the California State Senate on June 2, 2009 despite aggressive lobbying by industry groups and will go before the Assembly on September 8 for a final vote.
In support of this landmark legislation, Green to Grow has donated 1,000 baby bottles and 3,000 nipples to the St. John’s Well Child & Family Center in Los Angeles, which serves as a primary source of health care for more than 100,000 underserved and low-income residents. Launched in 2007 with a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility, Green to Grow produces baby bottles from PES plastic, which is free of BPA, phthalates, lead, and PVC, and also manufacturers and distributes gift sets, silicone nipples, and a line of organic cotton totes and accessories.
Green to Grow founders, husband and wife Michael Ritterbrown and Shelley Aronoff, announced the company will continue to donate baby bottles to charitable organizations that serve families in need and support their efforts to educate families about safer alternatives to polycarbonate plastics.
“Whether we like it or not, the BPA controversy has become a matter of economic and social justice,” said Green to Grow Vice President Shelley Aronoff. “Many national retailers such as Babies “R” Us, Walmart, Target, Safeway, and Whole Foods have already stopped selling products containing this proven neural, developmental, and reproductive toxicant. Sadly, unless legislation banning BPA is passed, many families who lack access to these specific retailers will continue to unknowingly purchase polycarbonate baby bottles, sippy cups, and other products sold at discounters and local merchants that continue to sell products that contain BPA.
A synthetic estrogen that can disrupt the human body’s own hormones, BPA has been linked to a variety of serious health problems by over 220 scientific studies and is thought to be particularly harmful to babies and young children. In the face of mounting scientific evidence that even extremely low levels of BPA can impact health, state legislatures across the country have acted to ban BPA from plastic
baby bottles and sippy cups, as well as in the lining of infant formula cans. Congress is also considering federal regulation, and 22 states and municipalities are currently reviewing legislation to regulate the chemical.
“A large percentage of exposure to BPA appears to be the result of leaching from baby bottles and food and beverage containers, hence the importance of protecting children from this toxin while their bodies are still developing,” Mr. Ritterbrown commented. “Numerous scientific studies have shown that because BPA acts like an estrogen when ingested, it’s literally like giving babies daily low-level doses of birth control pills. A wealth of scientific data shows that this kind of hormone disruption can cause diabetes, breast cancer, ADHD, early onset puberty, obesity, impaired brain development and immune function disorders, among others.”
Mr. Ritterbrown added that Green to Grow’s donation to the St. John’s Well Child & Family Center is part of its ongoing outreach philosophy in which it gives back to communities in need while helping to educate them about the BPA issue.
“We believe in the power of knowledge and direct action. We cannot wait for change to happen. We have to do what we can now to protect families and the earth,” he commented. “Isn’t it clearly our responsibility, as citizens and as lawmakers, as parents and as caretakers, to speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves, to stand up for those who lack the resources to stand for themselves?”
As many lawmakers have not yet committed to supporting SB 797 on the Assembly Floor, bill sponsor Senator Pavley is urging the public to contact their Assembly member and urge them to vote in favor of protecting our children from harm by supporting SB 797 on the Assembly Floor.
“California has always been a leader on environmental and health issues, but we are already behind other states and countries that have banned BPA from children’s products,” said Senator Pavley. “Let’s get this dangerous chemical out of our children’s food and drink.”
How California Voters Can Make a Difference:
Visit www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html and enter your zip code to find what legislators represent your area. Call or email them and ask for their “Yes” vote on the ‘Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers’ Act (SB 797). To schedule an interview with Green to Grow Vice President Shelley Aronoff or for more information, contact Renee Cooper at 805-962-1347 or rcooper@christiecomm.com.
About Green to Grow
Founded in 2007 by husband and wife Michael Ritterbrown and Shelley Aronoff, Green to Grow is an eco-friendly and BPA-free baby bottle and accessories manufacturer and distributor based in Los Angeles, California. Committed to providing parents with safer baby bottle options, Green to Grow produces baby bottles from PES plastic, which is free of BPA, phthalates, lead and PVC. It also manufacturers and distributes silicone nipples, starter/gift sets, and a line of organic cotton totes and accessories.
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