[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 81 (Monday, June 10, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4059-S4060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. King, and Mr. Blumenthal):
  S. 1124. A bill to establish requirements with respect to bisphenol 
A; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, scientific studies continue to show 
cause for concern about the chemical Bisphenol-A, BPA, especially the 
effects on babies and young children. Endocrine disrupting chemicals 
alter the function of the body's hormonal system. BPA is a synthetic 
estrogen, which means that it mimics this hormone when in the body. 
While studies continue to examine the exact effects this endocrine 
disrupting chemical has on humans, consumers deserve more information. 
They have the right to know if it is in the food products they purchase 
for their families.
  The BPA in Food Packaging Right to Know Act requires that food 
packaging that uses BPA include a clear label informing consumers. The 
label would read, ``This food packaging contains BPA, an endocrine-
disrupting chemical.'' This basic message would allow individuals to 
make informed decisions about the products they purchase.
  BPA is most commonly found in food products, such as the lining of 
cans. Parents are busy enough caring for their children and juggling 
what feels like a hundred things at the same time. Having factual 
information about whether the food they are buying at the grocery store 
contains BPA, a potentially harmful chemical, shouldn't be one more 
thing they have to go to great lengths to figure out.
  This legislation also directs the Department of Health and Human 
Services, HHS, to do a safety assessment of food containers containing 
BPA to determine if there is reasonable certainty that no harm will 
come from long-term low dose exposure to BPA as well as high dose 
exposure.
  This safety standard would also be used to evaluate proposed uses of 
alternatives to BPA. There is no use in replacing BPA in products if 
what we are replacing it with is just as bad or worse for human health.
  The President's Cancer Panel focused on reducing the environmental 
cancer risk in its 2008- 2009 Annual Report. BPA is just one of many 
chemicals

[[Page S4060]]

that pose a potential environmental cancer risk, with links to various 
cancers and also potentially affecting how well cancer treatments work. 
This panel, appointed by former President George W. Bush, decided that 
even though studies are ongoing, they had enough information to state 
that ``the true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been 
grossly underestimated.''
  I agree with this finding and strongly believe that as scientific 
studies continue to seek definitive answers to the role of chemical 
exposure in adversely affecting human health, the very least that 
consumers deserve is the right to know what chemicals, such as BPA, are 
in the products they are purchasing. The panel specifically mentions 
concern that even though studies continue to link BPA with a variety of 
diseases, it still remains in products.
  I am particularly concerned about the negative health effects to 
children who are exposed to chemicals both while they are developing in 
the womb and in the first few years of their lives. Children are 
particularly susceptible to toxins while their bodies are developing at 
such a rapid pace. A recent study by researchers at the University of 
California, Berkley, stated that fetuses and pregnant women may be 
particularly susceptible to BPA exposure. The study found that exposure 
to BPA may have an effect on thyroid function, and suggests continued 
studies to confirm these findings.
  An article published in Health Affairs in 2011 estimated that the 
annual cost of diseases that can be attributed to negative 
environmental exposures was more than $76 billion per year in 2008. The 
incidence of endocrine system-related diseases continues to rise, and 
animal studies have shown adverse health effects in connection with 
exposure to BPA.
  A recent study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's 
Environmental Health examined a link between BPA exposure and an 
increased risk for asthma in young children. They found that there was 
an elevated risk associated with BPA exposure and more research is 
needed to determine specific links.
  BPA is one of the most pervasive chemicals in modern life. This 
chemical is used in thousands of consumer products and the most common 
exposure is through the lining of food packaging- like cans of green 
beans and ready-made soups. As with so many other chemicals in consumer 
products, BPA has been added to our products without knowing if it is 
safe or not.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the BPA in Food 
Packaging Right to Know Act to stand up for the right of consumers to 
make informed choices about the food products they buy for their 
families. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this 
important issue.
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