Colombo, environmentalists denounce toxic substance in baby bottles

According to an investigation by the Centre for Environmental Justice, two-thirds of the baby containers tested contain bisphenol-A, a toxic substance banned in many countries because it is believed to cause serious illness.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - A harmful chemical - bisphenol-A (BPA) - is worryingly present in baby bottles and food containers for infants and young children in Sri Lanka. In a report, the Centre for Environmental Justice (ECJ) denounced this: "We found that two-thirds of the bottles sampled had been mislabelled as BPA-free," environmental activists report.

Bisphenol-A is legally identified as a toxic substance in many countries and is classified as an endocrine disruptor in the European Union (EU). However, according to the Centre for Environmental Justice study, "76 of the 98 baby bottles and food containers tested contained the chemical, which leached into the liquid content in 78% of the cases tested," says the research, which was conducted by groups from eight different countries gathered in the International Pollution Eradication Network. "Manufacturers are misleading parents into buying products that can harm their children," the report charges. Exposure to BPA is linked to several adverse health effects, including cancer, diabetes, fertility disorders and sexual dysfunction in both men and women.

Therefore, the study calls for national and global restrictions on the use of bisphenol-A in children's food and drink containers. "We need strict rules for labelling toxic chemicals in consumer products, as well as a strong surveillance system," the report concludes.

Used as a constituent chemical in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins - in food and beverage containers, medical and sports equipment, spectacle lenses, thermal paper receipts and plastic water pipes - the use of BPA in baby bottles has already been restricted in some countries such as China and Indonesia, and banned in others, such as Malaysia.

• Sri Lanka
• Colombo
• ambiente
• salute
• bambini
• biberon
• bisfenolo-A