Your Toxic Environment @ Work.

FDA Needs To Reconsider Its Tolerance Regarding BPA
By Irene Collins



The FDA was urged by a scientific panel to rethink a recent conclusion that a chemical used in baby bottles and infant formula packing is safe at current levels. The science board agreed with the finding that that the FDA was wrong to base its August decision that BPA is safe only on studies funded by the chemical industry.

Excluded studies suggest that BPA, which acts like the hormone estrogen, could pose harm to children at levels at least 10 times lower than what the agency allows. But the FDA quickly issued a statement reiterating its view that "based on all available evidence" current levels of exposure to BPA through food packaging do not pose an immediate health risk to the public, including infants and babies.

The panel, which formally presents its report to an FDA science committee on Friday, urged the agency to take into account other animal studies that have found health concerns and studies published since the draft assessment was made.

Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound with an annual production of 2–3 million tones; it is an important ingredient in the production of polycarbonate. Suspected of being hazardous to humans since the 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products grabbed headlines in 2008 when several governments issued reports questioning its safety, and some retailers pulled products made from it off their shelves. Children are commonly exposed to BPA from plastic baby bottles, the linings of metal liquid formula cans and other consumer products. Tests have found the chemical in 93% of Americans.
http://foodconsumer.org/7777/8888/C_ooking_amp_P_acking_39/110208192008_Exposure_to_plastic_chemical_BPA_may_affect_behaviors.shtml