Baby bottles found to leak chemicals, California may ban them

Most parents discourage their kiddos from ingesting known toxics, so a new study from green group Environment California is a bit of a bummer: when run through a simulated dishwasher 50 to 75 times, name-brand baby bottles leach the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, in levels that have caused reproductive abnormalities in lab animals. Baby-product representatives spun the bottle, calling the report “sensational and biased” and arguing that their products meet federal standards, which really is far from comforting. Feeling un-comforted, California Assembly member Fiona Ma (D) has introduced a bill to ban children’s products containing BPA or toxic plastic softeners called phthalates in the state, mirroring a current San Francisco law. And a group of experts convened by the National Institutes of Health will meet next week to review data and conclude whether or not BPA poses health risks to humanfolk — but the findings, according to an NIH spokesperson, will “not necessarily” be adopted by the feds.