Oregon ban on baby bottle chemical fails on tie vote
By TIM FOUGHT
SALEM, Ore.
A bill to ban a chemical used in rigid plastic baby bottles and “sippy cups” failed Tuesday on a tie vote in the Oregon Senate.
Advocates wanted to ban products used by children younger than 3 years old that contain bisphenol A. They said the federal government has failed to regulate the hormone disrupter that can leach from food containers and pose multiple health hazards for fetuses and young children.
Opponents said federal regulators haven’t concluded the chemical is a health hazard, and the measure could threaten jobs and businesses in Oregon’s canning industry.
Bisphenol A was developed as an estrogen replacement before World War II and adopted for plastics in the 1950s.
The federal Food and Drug Administration has expressed concern about the chemical’s effects and ordered more tests.
A few other states have banned it in infant products or, as in Washington, are moving to do so. Many manufacturers and retailers already have abandoned baby bottles using bisphenol A.
“Parents are not choosing it, and it will go away,” said Sen. Jason Atkinson of Central Point, who said his family avoided it. He voted against the bill, saying it was a precursor to legislation to ban the chemical in cans.
Bisphenol A is in the epoxy resins used for can liners, enabling high-heat sterilization, according to manufacturers.
Originally, the bill also aimed at the use of bisphenol A in baby formula cans. The canning industry said it was too broad and might also apply to widely used products such as canned peas and pureed squash.
Even though that provision was deleted, lobbyist Craig Smith of the Northwest Food Processors Association said the group remained opposed to the bill. The state should await action by the federal regulators, and the bill had an objectionable provision to recall baby bottles that had been sold legally, he said.
Supporters of the bill said the chemical remains in some bottles for sale, and not all parents have or can take the time to be educated about the chemical.
“Their children are no less deserving of protection,” said Sen. Chris Edwards of Eugene.
Fifteen Democrats supported the bill Tuesday. Three Democrats and 12 Republicans opposed it.
In the Oregon Legislature, bills that fail, especially on tie or close votes, are not dead in a legislative session until the last gavel falls. The measure’s sponsor, Sen. Jackie Dingfelder of Portland, said the bisphenol A ban might be resurrected before adjournment, expected next week.
Bills that environmentalists favored have had a tough time in the February session.
Sen. Mark Hass of Beaverton withdrew his proposed ban on plastic bags at checkout stands. A measure to make permanent a ban on offshore oil and gas drilling in Oregon’s 3-mile stretch of territorial waters in the Pacific was amended to limit the ban to 10 years. A measure aimed at resolving long-standing issues of property rights and recreational use of Oregon rivers failed Tuesday in the Oregon Senate.
A bill to encourage Oregon’s largest cities to plan for reducing greenhouse gases was still alive in committee.
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The bisphenol A measure is SB1032.
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