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Child Development Center begins toxin removal
The Advocate
The Child Development Center will soon be Bisphenol A free, as all products containing the chemical are replaced.
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MHCC District Board member Duke Shepard proposed the idea of BPA removal this January. It was adopted unanimously by the board at their January meeting.
“I became aware of the BPA issue when preparing for the birth of my daughter about a year ago,” Shepard said. “It’s a toxic chemical that’s found at high concentrations in children, largely from certain plastic containers for food and drink, like sippy cups,” said Shepard.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is an important chemical building block used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic, consumer electronics, medical equipment and a wide array of other instruments used in everyday life. First reported by German scholar Thomas Zincke of the University of Marburg in 1905, the chemical became widely used in 1954 when it was first used to create plastic.
Over time BPA has become more common in household items and caused concern to both the federal Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control.
BPA protects canned food from contamination from the metal, but in exchange contaminates the food, according to the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization whose goal is to research health risks to children and infants.
While the Child Development Center removal has not been given a timeframe, Shepard said, “The administration and the campus community will determine a time frame that works, with the expectation that sooner is better, because we’re talking about the health of children.”
The directive adopted by the board is only specific to food and beverage containers for programs that serve children.
Kris Pearson, the manager for the Child Development Center, said that the BPA removal is an ongoing process, and that while no specific dates have been set for a complete removal, it is currently on a “case by case basis.”
Pearson also said that the Child Development Center has been continually replacing items that contain BPA, even before the board made the resolution.
“(The BPA removal) further distinguishes MHCC from its competitor institutions as a leader on important issues and children’s health,” said Shepard.
In addition to steps being taken at MHCC, the Oregon Legislature is considering Senate Bill 1032, which would phase out BPA across the state.
“The BPA replacement process in children’s programs has no direct impact on our other campuses or programs. However, if this sparks conversation and consideration on our campuses about BPA or other toxics, that’s always healthy,” said Shepard.
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