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The Maryland Senate on Thursday approved a ban on the chemical bisphenol A in bottles and cups for children under 4. In a 46-to-0 vote, the Senate passed legislation identical to a bill that already has cleared the House of Delegates. The measures were amended so the ban would not apply to toys and teething rings. The ban will take effect in 2012, a year later than initially proposed. Shaun Adamec, a spokesman for Gov. Martin O'Malley, said the governor planned to sign the legislation. Connecticut and Minnesota passed similar laws last year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports on the controversial regulation of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in food and drink containers, drafted by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. According to a report from an advisory subcommittee to the agencys, FDA's finding that BPA is safe was based on inadequate evidence. Lawmakers have been critical of FDA's draft assessment of the safety of BPA after the National Toxicology Program determined that BPA is linked to developmental and behavioral effects.

For an agency that claims to be rooting out conflicts of interest, the Food and Drug Administration has done a poor job of handling what looks like a potential conflict on a committee evaluating the safety of bisphenol-A, known as BPA. There is growing fear that BPA -- a chemical found in baby bottles and liners for canned goods -- might affect the brain development and behavior of fetuses and young children or cause other problems. The F.D.A. said in a recent draft assessment that the small amounts that leach into food or milk are not dangerous, but scientists at the federal agency for toxicological research have expressed concern. All of which makes an authoritative evaluation of BPA especially important. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports on the fire that broke out on a train shuttling trucks under the English Channel between England and France on September 11, 2008. The fire incident resulted to at least six people injured and suspension of traffic in the undersea tunnel according to officials. A spokesman for tunnel operator Groupe Eurotunnel SA confirmed that the fire was quickly extinguished after it broke out about seven miles from the French side. The fire started on a vehicle carrying phenol according to the French Interior Ministry.