ASSEMBLYWOMAN FIONA MA PRESENTS 5,000 BPA-FREE BABY BOTTLES TO COMPASS COMMUNITY SERVICES
SAN FRANCISCO - September 20, 2009 - Despite a ferociously fought lobbying battle, California's Toxics-Free Babies and Toddlers Act (SB 797) failed to garner the needed votes to ban the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) from food and beverage containers designed for children aged three and under.
In response to this legislative defeat, Green to Grow founders, husband and wife Michael Ritterbrown and Shelley Aronoff, announced the company will address this economic and social injustice to underserved communities by donating more than $5,000 worth of BPA-free baby bottles to San Francisco's Compass Community Services.
California State Assembly member Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) presented the donation on behalf of the Los Angeles-based BPA-free baby bottle and accessories manufacturer at Compass Community Services facility at 995 Market Street in San Francisco.
"If something is thought to cause harm then the law should reflect caution, especially when the health of a child is in jeopardy," said Assemblywoman Fiona Ma. "While the ban of BPA may not have happened this year, we can take comfort that there are companies like Green to Grow producing chemical free baby bottles."
"I take this issue personally," said Aronoff. "Green to Grow was founded on the belief that all infants and children deserve to use safe feeding devices, not just those whose parents have access to these products. Many larger retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Babies R' Us, Safeway and Whole Foods have, on their own initiative, phased out BPA in products for infants and young children. They're responding to parents' demands for safer alternatives."
About BPA
BPA is a hormone-disrupting chemical and it acts like an estrogen in the body. Its repeated ingestion is the equivalent of giving babies daily low-level doses of birth control pills. While 93% of the 220 university and government studies have shown adverse health effects from low does of BPA, none of the 11 chemical-industry funded studies have shown and effect. Any notions of a conflict are purely the chemical industry's attempt to confuse the issue.
About Compass Community Services
For more than 90 years, Compass Community Services has helped low-income and homeless individuals find their way out of the cycle of poverty and homelessness. Today, Compass focuses on families, filling the needs of more than 3,000 low-income and homeless parents and children each year. Its services include intake and referral to shelter, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and childcare—in addition to a broad spectrum of counseling, parenting education, prevention, and support services. With its deep understanding of homelessness and personalized support, Compass equips clients to regain a solid footing and move toward long-term stability.