Baby milk bottle chemical banned

MPs vote unanimously in favour of banning Bisphenol A in baby bottles - but a full ban will not be considered until 2011

A CHEMICAL frequently used in plastic packaging is to be banned from baby milk bottles from next year.

French MPs have voted unanimously in favour of the ban on the manufacture and sale of baby bottles containing Bisphenol A.

However a full debate on whether the chemical should be totally banned in all products has been postponed until next year.

Some Socialist MPs had wanted the ban extended to all uses of the chemical, commonly used in kettles, kitchen film and to line the inside of tinned foods.

The Ligue Contre le Cancer was among the groups campaigning for the blanket ban on the chemical, which has been linked to problems including cancer, diabetes and male fertility problems.

It has launched an online petition calling for clearer labelling of the presence of Bisphenol A.

Several local authorities in France, including Paris and Besançon, have already banned baby bottles containing the chemical in municipal creches.

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Olga Sapegina - Fotolia.com