Congress Considering Banning BPA From Food Packaging

Despite activists' multiple attempts to get the FDA to ban the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), containers we eat and drink out of could still easily contain the contentious substance.

Consumerist reports that Congress is once again considering a BPA ban, with new legislation from Congressman Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts. The Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2013 would prohibit using BPA in food packaging and reusable containers, calling the chemical a "poisonous or deleterious substance."

While the FDA banned BPA in children's cups and baby bottles back in 2012, a universal ban is not yet in place; Markey has reportedly attempted before to get a BPA ban in action in 2011, but it reportedly never made it out of committee.

Exposure to BPA is apparently fairly widespread, and past studies have linked exposure to the chemical to behavioral problems in children, and multiple health problems.

The ban would treat bisphenol A as an adulterant of a food or beverage, only allowing waivers if it is not technologically feasible to replace BPA with other containers, or use a BPA-free container. A full PDF of the legislation can be seen at Consumerist.