BPA Concerns and Proposed Phase Outs

The EMC Consumer Products Committee wants to reduce the use of products with toxic chemicals in Tompkins County.  At the May 13th EMC meeting we will be discussing a policy item that has been in the spotlight nationwide: requiring safer substitutes for a subset of products that use Bisphenol A (BPA).  A ban has already been passed in Suffolk County, NY, several other local governments are working to require safer substitutes (including Schenectady County and NYC), and a New York State BPA bill has been introduced as well.  Action in our county will provide support for change across a larger area.

Katie Kelly, Child-Safe Products Campaign Coordinator for Clean NY, will

lead this discussion and she has provided links to background information below.

Toxic Substances Control Act

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/tsca/tscaenfstatreq.html

www.chemicalspolicy.org/downloads/Chemicals_Policy_TSCA.doc

Background on BPA

Short summary:

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=proposed-bans-on-bpa-picking-up-ste-2009-04-13

Federal assessments:

http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/42858807.html

Health:

http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/pp.asp?c=kwKXLdPaE&b=2638145

Current local and state BPA efforts

Schenectady: http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/apr/04/0404_bpa/

Suffolk County: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/nyregion/long-island/15cupsli.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Legislative text in Suffolk: http://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/legis/resos2009/i1017-09.htm

NYS: http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A06919