After failed attempts in past years, the California state Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would ban bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, from baby bottles and sippy cups for infants and small children.

The Toxin-Free Infants Act would ban the plastic chemical from beverage containers made or sold after July 1, 2013. The measure heads to the state Assembly for a vote later in the year and then onto Governor Jerry Brown to be signed into law.

Consumer groups praised the move, which requires manufacturers to use the least toxic alternative to BPA in the newly formulated replacement products.  Public health advocates have long sought to limit BPA exposure, especially to infants and small children, as a growing body of research links low-level exposure to the chemical to reproductive, neurological and behavioral problems.

“We applaud the State Senate for banning BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups for California’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Elisa Odabashian, West Coast director of Consumers Union, co-sponsor of the bill. “We urge the Assembly to quickly finalize this bill so that parents will no longer worry about this hazardous chemical when purchasing these products for their children.”

Martha Dina Argüello, executive director of Physicans for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles told the LA Times she believes the vote “is part of reasserting California’s leadership on environmental health protections.”

“Finally, the California Senate passed a BPA ban, and infants and parents around the state are cheering,” said Renee Sharp, California Director of Environmental Working Group, co-sponsor of the bill.

BPA in children’s products has been banned in 10 states, the European Union, Canada and China.