SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug 28, 2008 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- The California
State Assembly has adopted first-in-the-nation legislation to ban a toxic Teflon
chemical linked to a number of serious health problems, including cancer, from
use in food packaging.
Senate Bill 1313, by Sen. Ellen Corbett of San Leandro, passed the Assembly
Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 42 to 22 - one more than needed for passage.
(The "yes" total may grow as more votes are rounded up later today.) The bill
now heads back to the state Senate, which already passed an earlier version, for
concurrence, and then on to Gov. Schwarzeneger's desk. If he signs it, it will
ban, begining in 2010, the chemical PFOA from fast-food wrappers, pizza boxes,
beverage containers and other packaging.
"This is a great victory for public health and the people of California," said
EWG Senior Analyst Renee Sharp. "This bill puts teeth in the voluntary PFOA
phase-out deal brokered by the Bush EPA," which won't take effect until 2015.
"The federal government's toothless, approach to banning a known carcinogen does
not ensure that people will be protected from these chemicals," said Sharp.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers PFOA a likely human
carcinogen known to induce testicular and mammary cancers in animals. Two
studies conducted by professors at UCLA and Johns Hopkins and published in
leading journals last year have linked PFOA exposure among the general
population to low birth weight. Perfluorinated chemicals, including PFOA, are
also associated with altered male reproductive hormones, and effects on the
liver, thyroid gland, and immune system.
And, unlike other pollutants, which break down in the environment eventually,
PFOA and other PFCs don't, according to EPA. Every molecule that is produced
today will be around forever, continually redistributing throughout the
environment. As a result, it is in the bloodstream of virtually every person in
the country - including children still in the womb.
The bill was targeted for defeat by DuPont and other chemical companies, who
threw an army of lobbyists against it. A coalition of environmentalists,
consumer organizations and labor unions pushed it over the top. Schwarzenegger
has not said if he will sign it.
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CONTACTS: Bill Walker or Renee Sharp, 510-444-0973 x301 or x302
