This blog was written by Natasha Patel, communications intern for the BlueGreen Alliance.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that the controversial chemical found in plastics known as bisphenol A (BPA) is now banned for use in baby bottles and sippy cups.

The American Chemistry Council pushed for the move back in October to alleviate any concerns from consumers regarding the negative effects of BPA resins found in infant products such as bottles, sippy cups, lids, and closures.

BPA has had a negative history with consumer advocacy groups due to studies that highlight the possible linkage between hormone disruption and cancer, obesity, reproductive, and developmental problems in children and adults.

While an impressive move by the FDA, BPA remains legal in most food packaging products. The decision to remove it or not is with the companies who use it in their packing; some companies — such as canned food manufactures — have completely removed BPA from their lining, other companies still widely use it.

According to a news release from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) — a BlueGreen Alliance partner — by Dr. Sarah Jannsen, this ban will offer only “limited protections” against the chemical. She calls the attempt by the FDA “half-hearted” and urges them to ban BPA from all food packaging to fully protect the health of both children and adults.