EU recommends glass as ban on Plastic baby bottles ENFORCED

European Container Glass Federation welcomes the recommendation from the European Commission for parents to use glass baby bottles. The recommendation features in the new rules to outlaw the use of polycarbonate baby bottles containing Bisphenol A (BPA); the EC Directive comes into force on March 1st.

Tomorrow, 1st March, the EU Directive to ban the use of BPA in plastic infant feeding bottles published on 28 January 2011 (1) will take effect in the EU Member States. It will no longer be possible to manufacture polycarbonate infant feeding bottles containing BPA. Starting from 1st June, the ban will also cover imports of baby bottles containing this material.

The European Commission has taken due account of the European Food Safety Opinion of 2006 according to which “infants aged 3 and 6 months fed using polycarbonate infant feeding bottles have the highest exposure to BPA” and that this level of exposure “decreases once feeding from polycarbonate bottles is phased out”. In its Directive, the EC therefore refers to glass “as alternative material to polycarbonate” because it does not contain BPA and it is safe for human health as it has to comply with very strict safety requirements set out for food contact materials.

“There is now no doubt that EU Legislation considers container glass as one of the most chemically and biologically inert materials” says Adeline Farrelly – Secretary General of FEVE. She adds: “Container glass is exempt from the EU Regulation REACH (2) which obliges industry to register any material or substance potentially harmful for human health, and to duly inform citizens. Glass vessels are so stable that they are extensively used in toxicological tests. And glass does not need to go to landfill as it is 100% and infinitely recycleable. However, should this happen, it is ac cepted at landfill sites without further testing because it is not harmful for the environment (3). ”

In the United States, the same concerns around potential dangers for human health linked to BPA exposure have recently brought politicians Edward Markey (Democrat-Massachusetts) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat-California) to re-introduce separate legislation to ban BPA in food and beverage containers and, particularly, in those destined for baby food. Already in May 2010, the U.S. Cancer Panel’s advice to President Obama warned against the lack of regulation on chemicals and their consequences on health and recommended – amongst other things – to store water in glass and microwave food in glass containers. In the United States, glass packaging material is “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.