The American Chemistry Council (ACC) asked the US Food and Drug Administration to revise certain regulations on BPA to clarify for consumers that BPA is no longer used to manufacture baby bottles and sippy cups and will not be used in these products in the future.

“Although governments around the world continue to support the safety of BPA in food contact materials, confusion about these products has become an unnecessary distraction to consumers, legislators and state regulators,” says Steven G. Hentges, PhD, of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of ACC. “FDA action on this request will provide certainty that BPA is not used to make the baby bottles and sippy cups on store shelves, either today or in the future.”

Recent state actions (see Tech Flash 5-11 [June 10, 2009]) have contributed to confusion about whether baby bottles and sippy cups sold in the United States contain BPA. In fact, manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups announced several years ago that due to consumer preference they had stopped using BPA in these products, according to ACC.

FDA has the scientific expertise and specific responsibility to make regulatory decisions about BPA and food-contact materials. For this reason, ACC has consistently opposed efforts by federal and state officials to impose legislative restrictions that conflict with FDA’s authority and create a patchwork of inconsistent laws or regulations.