FDA bans BPA in baby bottles and kid's cups

I first blogged about bisphenol A back in 2006 over at unreasonable.org. I've followed the saga of this ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemical, which has been linked to a host of problems including breast cancer,obesity and insulin resistance, miscarriage, prostate enlargement, and early sexual maturation, for several years now.

Now the New York Times reports that the Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and children's drinking cups:

Manufacturers have already stopped using the chemical in baby bottles and sippy cups, and the F.D.A. said that its decision was a response to a request by the American Chemistry Council, the chemical industry’s main trade association, that rules allowing BPA in those products be phased out, in part to boost consumer confidence.

But the new prohibition does not apply more broadly to the use of BPA in other containers, said an F.D.A. spokesman, Steven Immergut.

The chemical industry, of course, assures us that BPA is perfectly safe, and despite raising a caution flag in 2010 the FDA still supports its use.