Boston city councilor at-large John R. Connolly has a personal reason for holding a hearing today about the potential health risks of bisphenol A, the chemical found in many hard durable plastics such as baby bottles and hiking water containers: His seven-week-old daughter.

Connolly has been following recent studies showing potential harm to fetuses and infants from exposure to bisphenol A. And he chairs the Boston City Council’s Committee on Environment and Health.

But it was only after his wife – his real source of information, he says – gave birth to Clare they began discussing the issue because baby bottles were going to figure prominently in their future. Were they safe?
“I wanted to have a full hearing and take action,” said Connolly. “You hear a lot of these reports. You can say seven week old Clare helped me” focus on the issue.

The hearing will be held at 3 p.m. in the Iannella Chamber, 5th Floor of Boston City Hall.

Dr. Michael Shannon, Chair of the Division of Emergency Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Boston; Mia Davis of Clean Water Fund, co-author of Baby’s Toxic Bottle; and Steven Hentges, Ph.D., Executive Director of the American Chemistry Council’s Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group are among those expected to testify.