Ban on Chemicals in Baby Products Sparks Debate
California's plastics and chemicals industries are regrouping following a vote by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to ban the commercial manufacture, sale and distribution of baby products containing bisphenol A or some phthalate forms including polyvinyl chloride. The city board voted 10-0 in favor of the ban, which would take effect Dec. 1. Tim Shestek, director of state and local public affairs for the western region of the American Chemistry Council, said the Child Product Safety Ordinance, which would be the first of its kind in the U.S., could significantly affect manufacturers and retailers of baby bottles, pacifiers, toys, books and other products aimed at children under 3 years old, because of the reformulations, retoolings and other changes that companies would have to make in order to comply with the law. He reiterated his claim that the Board of Supervisors ignored evidence that bisphenol-A and phthalate were safe and that the city board had failed to consult business sectors affected by the ordinance.