Moms made waves this summer for kids' health! Your hard work helped push the FDA to remove BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups. Help us keep up the MOMentum by demanding that the FDA also ban BPA from infant formula packaging!
Why ban it from infant formula packaging? We know Bisphenol-A (BPA) is dangerous: More than 200 scientific studies show that BPA exposure is associated with a variety of health issues, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, birth defects, diabetes, and obesity. [1] Infants, whose brains and organs are constantly developing, are particularly at risk.
Together, we finally got the FDA to announce that BPA could no longer be used in baby bottles and sippy cups. Let’s keep up the MOMentum and use our mom power to also get BPA out of infant formula packaging!
Here’s what’s happening right now: U.S. Rep. Edward Markey filed a citizen petition asking the FDA to ban the use of BPA in infant formula packaging. We need moms to let the FDA know that we support this petition by sending in as many signatures as possible to back up this important request.
Getting BPA out of infant formula packaging is important. A primary route of BPA exposure is through the leaching of BPA from food and beverage containers. Once in food, BPA can move quickly into people—a particular concern for babies, young children, pregnant women and women of childbearing age. Early exposure to BPA not only impacts healthy childhood development it also increases infants’ risk of developing breast cancer and other diseases later in life. [2]
Not all mothers can choose to breastfeed their babies. [3] But, all of us, parents and grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can work together to protect babies from unsafe, hormonally active chemicals like BPA in infant formula packaging.
FDA approval of the Markey petition is necessary to protect babies everywhere. We need to make sure that BPA is permanently banned from infant formula packaging to send a strong message to all manufacturers to keep BPA out of our children's food products, and also so that the market does not return to the use of BPA in infant formula packaging.
We're gaining MOMentum. Eleven states have already restricted the use of BPA in infant food packaging, and the marketplace is listening and has begun to move away from using BPA. [4] Now, let’s pump up the volume so that we can make sure that moms nationwide can purchase formula without having to worry that it contains a dangerous toxic chemical.
We can’t stop with the FDA just getting BPA out of sippy cups [5] Infants, toddlers, pregnant women, and the population at large are still being exposed to BPA through baby food, canned foods and reusable food containers.
This infant formula packaging ban could be an important next step towards banning BPA in all food packaging. If the FDA thinks BPA doesn’t belong in baby bottles or sippy cups, it’s just further proof that this dangerous chemical doesn’t belong in any products our babies are exposed to.
Show the FDA that moms won’t back down: When it comes to our babies, we will do anything to keep them safe. Click here to tell the FDA to approve Representative Markey’s petition and permanently ban the use of BPA in infant formula packaging.
Please share this petition with your friends and through social media like Facebook and Twitter (Just copy and paste the action link in your update and ask your friends to sign on too). The more voices, the stronger our message to the FDA that BPA does not belong in infant formula packaging, and that we’ll keep fighting until BPA is banned from all food packaging.
Thank you for everything you do!
(Huge thanks to the Breast Cancer Fund and Representative Markey for all the work they do to protect children and families from toxic chemicals!)
[1] http://notinmyfood.org/posts/3026-congressman-food-industry-not-waiting-for-fda-decision-on-bpa
[2] http://www.saferchemicals.org/toxic-chemicals/bpa.html
[3] What to Expect When You're Expecting http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-guide/why-you-might-not-be-able-to-breastfeed.aspx
[5] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/science/fda-bans-bpa-from-baby-bottles-and-sippy-cups.html
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