The Assembly Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to ban Bisphenol-A in the sale and manufacturing of drink containers for kid’s three and younger. WISPIRG’s Bruce Speight, who advocated for a crackdown on the additive used in plastics, is not surprised it was a 95-to-2 vote.
“As folks have learned more, they’ve only come around to acknowledging there is a need to action and that’s what we saw with 95 (legislators) voting for this,” says Speight.
Republicans Robin Vos of Caledonia and Joel Kleefisch of Oconomowoc voted no. Kleefisch said the largest makers of child bottles-and-cups have already removed BPA from their products. Vos said he’s seen no scientific proof that BPA causes harm.
However, Speight says the evidence says otherwise, “We have hundreds of studies that have shown us the health effects and are linking this chemical to cancer, to reproductive disorders and a whole host of other health effects.”
With the Senate already approving a BPA-free bill, Governor Jim Doyle is expected to sign the measure making Wisconsin the third state to enact such a ban.
Brian Moon reports (:61)