We expect, as consumers, that the products we consume are safe, due to federal and state regulations. But that’s not always the case, which is why environmental groups continue to push for improvement in the safety of products we all use or eat.

Maine’s Kids Safe Products Act lists bisphenol-A, or BPA, as a priority chemical, as it has been shown to be a hormone disrupter that is also linked to learning disabilities in children and contributes to other health problems. The chemical has been used for decades in food packaging, as a coating on metal cans and jar lids to prevent corrosion and keep bacteria out.

The battle to ban BPA in all food products sold in Maine has made some progress, with the chemical banned in reusable beverage containers sold in Maine as of Jan. 1, 2013, including plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and infant formula cans. However, the state has fallen short of banning BPA in all infant formula and baby or toddler food packaging, despite rallies by environmental groups and parents at the Statehouse in 2012.

The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine, with the signatures of hundreds of concerned parents, petitioned the Board of Environmental Protection to approve this ban. And while the board agreed that infant formula packaging and baby food containers should not contain BPA, it did not approve of the toddler food ban due to concerns about definitions.

Health advocates are now trying a lighter approach with LD 1181. This bill is a significant retreat from the effort to pursue an outright ban of BPA in food packaging ”“ although that is the ultimate goal of the Environmental Health Strategy Center. LD 1181 is a baby step toward that goal, scaled back significantly from its original version in order to find support.

It’s being called the “BPA Right-to-Know bill,” and would require only the largest food manufacturers ”“ those that gross $1 billion or more in sales each year ”“ to report use of priority chemicals such as BPA in food packaging. The information won’t be on the food label or in the store, but the DEP will have it on hand so the information will be available to the public, if they ask for it. As it stands, food manufacturers are not reporting these chemicals to any state, said Amanda Cyr, associate director with the health strategy center, so this is a major improvement, though it doesn’t go as far as they would have liked.

We certainly don’t feel that this bill goes far enough, and it’s dumbfounding that a full ban on BPA in food packaging has not found support at the federal level. That’s where this needs to be happening, so small manufacturers can purchase containers that are BPA-free for a comparable price to those currently offered, and no one has to worry about changing labels since BPA won’t be in any food product.

With this pending bill, parents will have to be extremely proactive to contact an environmental group or the DEP directly to get the listing of which manufacturers use the chemical, and in which products ”“ and only the biggest producers will have information available. It shouldn’t be that difficult for a parent to make healthy purchases for their child. Chemicals proven to have ill effects should not be in any food product packaging, for adults or children, and if the federal government is not going to protect us, labeling should be required at the state level to at least let consumers know what they’re buying.

LD 1181 has been passed by the House and Senate and advocates are hoping the governor will support it. The bill doesn’t put any pressure on Maine manufacturers, and it won’t cost the DEP anything to receive and make available this information from the major corporations that will be required to report.

Advocates are betting that with the information made public, manufacturers will be forced to find safer alternatives to BPA and it will eventually be phased out due to consumer demand.

While we hope that’s the case, we’re disappointed to see the BPA ban effort so watered down due to opposition from the LePage administration and some legislators. The governor’s focus has been on business and economic development since he got into office, and as we’ve said before, it doesn’t boost the state’s economy for our youth to continue consuming a chemical that is linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and problems with brain development. This bill represents the very least the state can do, with no impact to Maine businesses, by making chemical information available to consumers. Rejecting it will be inexcusable.