On Wednesday, the Iowa Senate passed a bill banning bisphenol A or (BPA) in some children’s products. Concerns over BPA have been steadily mounting due to numerous studies linking BPA to a wide range of adverse health effects. Eight states, Canada and the European Union have already banned BPA in certain children’s products. The Iowa bill will need to get through the House but with the Senate’s passage on Wednesday; Iowa is one step closer to becoming the 9th state to ban BPA.

SF 405, will ban BPA in infant pacifiers, baby bottles, spill proof containers, and the lining of baby bottles. BPA, a synthetic estrogen has been linked to a wide variety of adverse health effects such as breast and prostate cancer, infertility, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

Babies and young children may be particularly vulnerable because they may metabolize BPA more slowly than adults, and BPA can interfere with their growth and development, impair learning and contribute to hyperactivity. Iowa State Senator and bill sponsor, Joe Bolkcom, echoed this sentiment, saying “Kids are the most vulnerable.”

Due to a lack of action from the FDA, the responsibility is falling on the states to protect consumers. “Legislation has been introduced across the country on this issue,” Bolkcom said. “It’s an issue where the states are making the difference in the absence of a good federal effort here.”