Campaigners have welcomed plans for a ban on dangerous plastics used in baby bottles.
The chemical BPA – bisphenol-A – will be banned across Europe next year, the European Commission has announced.
The substance is used to make plastic clear.
Campaigners say it mimics the hormone oestrogen and can interfere with a child’s growth and development.
Belinda Phipps, of the National Childbirth Trust, UK, said: "We have been calling for a UK ban on selling baby bottles containing bisphenol-A plastics for several years, and are thrilled their import and sale will soon be outlawed across the EU.
"When you put hot liquids into a bottle containing BPA, particularly as the bottle gets older and more scratched, the chemical can leach out of the plastic and be absorbed into the baby’s body.
"There are now viable alternatives to BPA that can be used to produce clear plastic baby bottles, and so there is no reason to continue using this chemical when there is concern about potential risks to young babies.
"We would now like to see BPA plastics banned in other products, as the chemical is also used in the linings of some formula tins and baby food containers."
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