Res. No. 707
Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to enact and the Governor to sign Assembly bill A. 212 which would amend the Environmental Conservation Law in relation to prohibiting the distribution and use of paper containing bisphenol A for the recording of any business transaction.
By Council Members Fidler, Brewer, James, Lander, Palma, Van Bramer, Williams and Mark-Viverito
Whereas, Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound used in the manufacture of a wide range of both consumer and industrial products; and
Whereas, Concerns over the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in news media in 2008 after several government reports were issued regarding its safety and, consequently, prompted many retailers to remove products containing the organic compound off of their shelves; and
Whereas, The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report in 2010 sharing the perspective of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) that stated that recent studies provide reason for some concern over the potential effects of bisphenol A on the brain, human behavior, and the prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children; and
Whereas, NTP has highlighted that there is some evidence of developmental changes that have occurred in some animal studies at doses that are experienced currently by humans and that the possibility of adverse health effects cannot be dismissed; and
Whereas, Bisphenol A is known to contain estrogen since the mid-1930s and has the potential to disrupt the daily functions of the human endocrine system; and
Whereas, Estrogens are known to trigger rapid cellular responses such as hormone secretion and cell permeability changes in human tissues such as the pancreas, pituitary gland, and the brain; and
Whereas, The FDA announced it was taking steps to reduce human exposure to bisphenol A in food packaging; and
Whereas, These steps included the support of efforts to replace bisphenol A or minimize bisphenol A levels in food can linings and to facilitate development of alternatives to bisphenol A for the linings of infant formula cans; and
Whereas, In March 2010, sharing the FDA's concern over the potential health impacts of bisphenol A, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a number of actions to address the potential effects of bisphenol A; and
Whereas, The EPA intends to consider initiating rulemaking under Section 5(b)(4) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to place bisphenol A on the Concern List as a substance that may present an unreasonable risk of injury to the environment along with initiating collaborative alternatives to encourage reductions in bisphenol A releases and exposures; and
Whereas, Assembly bill A. 212 would amend the Environmental Conservation Law through the addition of a new section, 37-0508, that provides that "no person, firm, partnership, association, limited liability company or corporation, including banking organizations, shall distribute or use any paper containing bisphenol A for the recording of any business or banking transaction including, but not limited to, receipts, credits, withdrawals, deposits, and credit and debit card records"; and
Whereas, If enacted, this act would take effect one hundred eighty days after enactment; and
Whereas, This legislation should be enacted in order to ensure that the distribution and use of paper containing bisphenol A for the recording of any business transaction is prohibited in a manner that benefits the overall health of the people of the State of New York; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to enact and the Governor to sign Assembly bill A. 212 which would amend the Environmental Conservation Law in relation to prohibiting the distribution and use of paper containing bisphenol A for the recording of any business transaction.
AS
1/25/11
LS# 1605