On June 4, 2013 Congressman Edward Markey introduced the Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2013 (pdf) to Congress. The bill would prohibit the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging and reusable food containers. The proposal contains an exemption process if a manufacturer cannot replace BPA or find an alternative to BPA. Such waivers would be issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Authority (FDA). Further the bill would require the U.S. FDA to review authorized FCM substances based on new scientific information and limit their use if a health risk can be determined. The bill is so far supported by 19 members of Congress.
This is the second attempt by Markey to prohibit the use of BPA in food packaging. He had previously introduced the proposal in 2011. The current bill has also received support from other associations including the Breast Cancer Fund, the U.S. Consumers Union and Clean Water Action. In a press release published June 4, 2013 Janet Nudelman, Director of Program and Policy at the Breast Cancer Fund stated that the FDA urgently needs to “catch up” with clear signals from scientists, consumers, retailers, manufactures and state and world governments.
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