[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4341 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4341

To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require a warning 
  on the label of any food container that is composed, in whole or in 
      part, of bisphenol A or could release bisphenol A into food.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 16, 2009

   Mr. Ryan of Ohio (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Hinchey, and Mr. 
   Israel) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require a warning 
  on the label of any food container that is composed, in whole or in 
      part, of bisphenol A or could release bisphenol A into food.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``BPA Consumer Information Act of 
2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to make, among other consumer 
        items, polycarbonate plastic used in food and beverage 
        containers and epoxy resins for can linings.
            (2) In monitoring studies, BPA has been detected in 
        infants' blood.
            (3) There is an ongoing, multiyear debate in the scientific 
        community on the reproducibility, validity, and relevance to 
        humans of test results in laboratory animals that indicate BPA 
        may cause adverse health effects at low doses.
            (4) This has led States to propose individual actions to 
        manage risk from exposure to BPA within their borders.
            (5) Exposures to BPA in food and beverage containers 
        continue while uncertainty over ``acceptable'' risk levels is 
        debated.
            (6) In the absence of certainty over potential risk, and 
        based on the potential inherent hazard posed by BPA, it is 
        prudent to require labeling for products causing exposure to 
        BPA, thereby assisting consumers in making better informed 
        decisions and spurring a search for alternatives.

SEC. 3. BISPHENOL A IN FOOD CONTAINERS.

    (a) Misbranding.--Section 403 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 343) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(z) If its container--
            ``(1) is composed, in whole or in part, of bisphenol A or 
        could release bisphenol A into food; and
            ``(2) fails to display, in such manner as the Secretary may 
        require, a warning on the label that states the container is 
        composed, in whole or in part, of bisphenol A or could release 
        bisphenol A into food, as applicable.''.
    (b) Applicability.--Section 403(z) of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act, as added by subsection (a), shall apply only with respect 
to food that is introduced or delivered for introduction into 
interstate commerce on or after the date that is 6 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
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