A petition signed by over 20,000 outraged parents and concerned consumers who support greater health protections for infants was sent to the CEO's of Avent, Disney/First Years, Dr. Brown's, Evenflo and Gerber -- manufacturers of plastic baby bottles containing Bisphenol A. Known as BPA, it is a sex hormone that interferes with the ways that genes are supposed to guide babies' healthy growth and development.

Consumer, parent, and environmental health advocates are demanding safer products as a response to recent breaking news developments with this chemical:

-- Last fall, 38 leading scientists conducted a review funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of hundreds of peer-reviewed research studies on BPA. The panel expressed unanimous concern that recent trends in human disease could be related to exposure to BPA even at very low levels.

-- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would review its regulatory policy on BPA. The FDA's reliance on two industry studies finding BPA safe, despite over 100 independent scientific studies linking the chemical to an array of illnesses, including breast and prostate cancer and obesity, is the subject of a Congressional investigation headed by Congressman John Dingell (D-MI).

-- On April 18th, the Canadian Government declared BPA "toxic" under Canadian Law, triggering a ban on BPA baby bottles in Canada.

-- On April 29th, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced Senate bill 2928 banning BPA in all products intended for infants and children up to age 7. Senators Boxer, Clinton, Durbin, Feinstein, Kerry and Menendez are co-sponsors of the bill.

-- Playtex Infant Care announced it will stop selling products made with BPA by the end of the year and will give one million free samples of new BPA-free products to potential customers.

-- Wal-Mart and CVS announced they are phasing out BPA baby bottles in U.S. stores.

-- Nalgene announced it would no longer use plastic made with BPA in its water bottles.

-- A February 2008 report, Babys Toxic Bottle, found that Avent, Disney/First Years, Dr. Brown's and Evenflo baby bottles made with polycarbonate plastic leach BPA when heated. Recent research shows that BPA can be harmful at doses below the levels found in this study.

Maureen Swanson of the Learning Disabilities Association says, "BPA is linked to such a range of adverse effects on neurological and physical development. These effects may include breast and prostate cancer, genital abnormalities in male babies, early onset of puberty in females, metabolic disorders including Type 2 diabetes and obesity, and neurobehavioral problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)."

"Moms and Dads across the country are outraged and worried that their babies might have been exposed to dangerous toxins from BPA in baby bottles. Manufacturers and retailers must do their part to keep our kids safe and healthy by ending the production and sales of baby bottles and other children's care products with BPA. What could be more important than the health of our children?" says Donna Norton of MomsRising.org.

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