Bisphenol

Even amid the growing barrage of presumably well-intentioned health warnings now flying around cyberspace, this one is a doozy. It warns that microwaving food in plastic containers releases dioxin, a carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. The e-mail notes that the warning about dioxin had been sent out in a newsletter from Johns Hopkins, the esteemed medical institution in Baltimore, and that similar information is "being circulated" at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, widely known as a nice person, flexed some muscle Monday: She punished the sole Assembly Democrat who refused to vote Sunday evening for a state spending plan drafted by fellow Democrats. Bass (D-Los Angeles) ordered Assemblywoman Nicole Parra of Hanford out of her fifth-floor Capitol office and into an office building across the street where legislative staffers work. "They wanted us to have everything packed up by 4 p.m.," said Parra's chief of staff, Derek Chernow, as he ripped packing tape to seal a box of office supplies.

Federal officials have fired a consulting company that was responsible for reviewing the dangers of chemicals for a government health institute while also working for chemical companies. Sciences International of Alexandria, Va., had been a major contractor for the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction for eight years. The federal center is responsible for determining which chemicals can harm human reproduction or fetal development.

THIRTEEN-MONTH-OLD Solange Dorsainvil plays with toys made from wood and cloth, drinks from a Swiss-made aluminum sippy cup and teethes on kale stems and celery. Her life is as plastic-free as her mother, Celina Lyons, can make it. FOR THE RECORD: This article was previously posted with an incorrect publication date. It appeared in The Times on Sept. 10, 2007. — Celina, a Berkeley-based acupuncturist, has become increasingly worried about the possible toxic effects of plastics.

A controversial Assembly bill that would have banned two toxic compounds in plastic baby products died Thursday after supporters could not round up enough support from members of the Appropriations Committee.

The National Institutes of Health has temporarily suspended a federal contractor that had been reviewing the health dangers of chemicals for the government while also working for the chemical industry. In addition, the NIH will convene a new advisory panel to investigate all toxicology program contracts for conflicts of interest and report back by July 1. For eight years, Sciences International, an Alexandria, Va.

Re "State moves to ban BPA," June 3 Connecticut has just become the first state to ban the toxic chemical bisphenol A, commonly dubbed BPA, from baby food cans and plastic containers. A similar measure, introduced by state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) also passed the California Senate by a narrow margin last week. Californians should thank Pavley for standing up to the mega-chemical industry. BPA is a synthetic hormone used in plastic containers and lining metal cans of food and baby formula.

Scientists on Tuesday debated the health risks of two chemicals found in plastic baby products as California legislators consider a bill that would make the state the only place in the world to restrict one of the compounds, which has been shown in some studies to mimic female hormones and possibly interfere with boys' reproductive development.

The state Assembly passed a bill Thursday to ban the chemical Bisphenol-A from baby bottles and other items that come in contact with small children. The Toxin-Free Toddlers and Babies Act, or SB 797, would ban the use of BPA in feeding products, including formula, for children 3 years old and younger. BPA has been linked with health problems such as infertility, autism, asthma, hyperactivity and breast cancer. In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reversed its long-held position that BPA posed no concern, calling for more studies of the artificial hormone that often is used in shatter-proof plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and linings of cans, including those containing baby formula.