Beginning January 1, 2010, every plastic baby bottle and children’s sippy cup manufactured for the entire state of Minnesota will be free of bisphenol-A (BPA), the chemical that mimics the effects of estrogen and risks the health of the children that ingest it.  Even so, studies have shown that BPA ingestion has become so common that most people’s bodies do contain traces of it.

On May 7, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the bill that makes law of a ban on the sale of any plastic baby bottles or sippy cups that contain BPA.  The ban includes all food and beverage containers marketed for children younger than 3 years of age.

The ban will be enacted in two parts.  Manufacturers will not be allowed to sell products in Minnesota that contain BPA beginning January 1, 2010.  By January 1, 2011, the ban extends to retailers as well as manufacturers.

The statewide ban does not eliminate all BPA-containing products from sale in Minnesota.  Those products marketed for use by adults and children older than 3 will still be allowed as will all food products sold in cans lined with BPA.

The dangers of BPA remain controversial, with some health officials declaring BPA safe for all uses and all ages while others say its estrogen-like effects are powerful enough to warrant concern.  Concerns for infants’ health are especially acute due to the rapid development of young bodies and brains and the inability of infants to eliminate the chemical quickly enough from their bodies.

In 2008, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement that BPA, as used in the entire food-container industry, is safe for all.  An independent scientific review led to a reversal of that declaration, however, once flaws in the study were discovered.  A second FDA assessment was ordered.

This past March, six major manufacturers of baby bottles volunteered to stop using BPA when manufacturing bottles intended for sale in the United States.

Four states, in addition to Minnesota, are said to be currently reviewing a BPA ban within their borders.  Similar legislation has been introduced to Congress; if passed, the BPA ban would become nationwide.