US federal & state lawmakers said 18 Nov they would work to ban the chemical bisphenol A from food & beverage containers. Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass said he plans to re-introduce a bill when the 111th Congress convenes Jan/09 to ban BPA from food/beverage containers, citing an analysis conducted by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the newspaper reported. The Journal Sentinel measured the amounts of the chemical released after heating & used the information to calculate how much BPA children of various ages & weights would consume if they were to eat from the containers. It reported all 10 products it tested leaked toxic doses of the chemical when heated. "This test of 'microwave safe' containers adds to the already vast & compelling body of knowledge indicating that BPA is dangerous & unsuitable for all food & beverage containers," Markey said. The Journal Sentinel found 17 studies in which scientists looked at levels of BPA exposure in live laboratory animals that showed harmful effects. I
