27/07/10: Govt should ban the use of BPA materials

I WOULD like to congratulate the Penang government for its initiatives to reduce the use of plastic and banning polystyrene to protect our environment.

I am encouraged by the determination to implement these initiatives. I hope they will extend these efforts to other areas to better improve our environment and to encourage the public to be responsible citizens.

I would like to suggest all state governments consider adopting similar measures and extend the same policy in banning baby bottles, feeding cups and packaging for baby food that contain Bisphenol A or BPA. BPA is a chemical used in polycarbonate plastic bottles to prevent the rigid transparent plastic from shattering.

Pouring boiling water into some of the plastic feeding bottles causes leaching of BPA.

BPA is an endocrine disruptor that can mimic our hormones and can thus interfere with the endocrine or hormonal system.

The endocrine system regulates the development of our immune and reproductive systems.

Even at very low doses, a number of observations of adverse effects have been made in which endocrine disrupters could play a role, especially when exposure occurs at a time when babies are extremely vulnerable to chemicals.

The Canadian and Danish governments have banned the use of polycarbonate baby bottles, feeding cups and packaging for baby food.

There is a groundswell of concern both in Europe and the United States about the continued use of the chemical.

The French Food Safety Agency has recommended that consumers should be alerted to the presence of BPA in packaging via “systematic labelling.”

In Australia, the government has announced a deal with retailers to phase out baby bottles containing BPA.

I propose that state governments lead the way and ban the use of BPA materials which will make them the first to do so in Asia.

DR BALKEES ABDUL MAJEED,

Penang.