Kuala Lumpur - The ban on import, manufacture, advertisement and sale of feeding bottles containing the organic compound Bisphenol A or BPA takes effect today, said Health Director-General Datuk Seri Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman.
He said the ban was imposed as a precautionary measure because until now there was no scientific proof that the polycarbonate feeding bottle containing the BPA was safe for use by infants and children.
The ban, he said, was in line with Regulation 27A (1) of the Food Regulations 1985.
Those caught violating the regulation could be fined not more than RM5,000 or sent to jail for a maximum of two years.
With effect from the regulation, the wordings “BPA free” was allowed to be labelled on feeding bottles not containing BPA, or its packaging, said Dr Hasan in a statement yesterday.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had announced in March last year that such milk bottles would no longer be allowed for sale as it could endanger infants.
Liow also urged parents and guardians of infants and children to make the switch now to bottles marked “BPA-free” which were widely available in the local market.
Countries which have already banned this chemical in milk bottles include Australia, Denmark, France, Germany and New Zealand.
BPA is used in polycarbonate to make baby milk bottles because it made the plastic translucent and stiffer, while those without BPA had a less clear and “dirtier” look.
For enquiries, the public can contact the Health Ministry’s Food Safety and Quality Division at 03-8883 3652/03-8883 3653 or by surfing its website at http://moh.gov.my or http://fsh.moh.gov.my. — Bernama