As a mother, educator, and coach committed to keeping children safe, I’m alarmed bisphenol A is in the lining of baby food jars and food cans marketed to kids. This  hormone-disrupting chemical with direct links to cancer is leaching out of can liners and jar lids directly into food.

The Maine Legislature will soon hear LD 902, a bill to ban BPA from baby food sold in Maine. I hope Maine lawmakers will continue their bipartisan efforts to pass this vital legislation. Eliminating BPA from baby food containers is a key step. However, food packaging like soup cans continue to leach BPA, while additional household items contain other harmful chemicals from parabens in shampoo to phthalates in plastic toys.

There’s good news: Sen. Seth Goodall, D-Richmond, has introduced LR 1627, a bill to close a loophole in Maine law blocking regulation of BPA in food packaging for adults and kids over 3, and to require the state to take action on 49 other dangerous chemicals linked to cancer, learning disabilities, and other serious health effects.

We all know someone touched by cancer. Having lost my parents and several friends to this disease, I’ve experienced this firsthand. Let’s do all we can to improve the safety in our homes and workplaces by regulating harmful chemicals.

I urge all legislators to support LD 902 and LR 1627 to reduce toxins in our homes and families. We owe it to current and future generations.

Lalla Carothers
Cumberland