Bisphenol A, or BPA, is the chemical used in various plastic bottles and can linings that Canada recently banned, consumers in Arkansas, California, and Ohio have filed lawsuits over, and Playtex and Nalgene have stopped using. The fear is that it’s toxic—studies on animals in Canada have shown that it’s damaging, and some tests in the U.S. suggest it’s harmful to humans as well. Critics of the anti-BPA movement point out that the human studies rely on super high dosages that never occur in real life, and that making safety decisions based on the general public’s fears isn’t exactly scientific.
Now—right before California decides whether to ban BPA in children’s products—the FDA has revisited its earlier studies and reaffirmed that “the trace amounts of bisphenol A that leach out of food containers are not a threat to infants or adults.”
Critics are saying the FDA is cherry-picking what studies to consider in its decision:
“It’s ironic FDA would choose to ignore dozens of studies funded by (the National Institutes of Health) — this country’s best scientists — and instead rely on flawed studies from industry,” said Pete Myers, chief scientist for Environmental Health Sciences.
Myers said the agency disregarded recent studies of bisphenol’s effects included in the National Toxicology Program’s April draft report.
That group’s review of animal studies suggested low doses of bisphenol can cause changes in behavior and the brain, and that it may reduce survival and birth weight in fetuses. A final version of the group’s findings is expected next month.
Commenting on those studies in its 105-page assessment, the FDA said they had “inconsistencies and inadequacies which limit the interpretations of the findings.”
We’re not sure what sort of effect this will have on the pending lawsuits or on California’s potential ban, but the BPA debate should take on new energy next month, when the National Toxicology Program’s final report is released and the FDA brings in outside “advisors” to debate its own findings.
“FDA says chemical found in plastic bottles is safe” [Associated Press]
(Photo: Oop)
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No wonder Bush couldn’t find the WMDs in Iraq: it [BPA] is in their baby bottles!
/sarcasm about Bush, Iraq and WMD, not about BPA, which is as serious as lead in paint.
@pollyannacowgirl: They have the same idea in the book Cradle to Cradle, a book on green design written by an architect and a chemist. They say that even though we don’t ever hear about people getting sick from a particular chemical, they do increase our risk of disease, especially when we are surrounded by a lot of them. They compare our immune system to a juggler, who has to take care of another ball every time the body has to manage another toxin. Should said juggler drop a ball, you get sick. And of course, an infant juggler isn’t as good as a grownup juggler.
@sharkd: oouch! whats with the Glenn Beck hate? Is it beacuse hes a republican? beacuse i’ll have you know not all republicans are as stupid as Dubbya.
@bohemian: I found Oggi Aluminum (with ceramic liners) bottles at TJ Maxx/Homegoods stores. I picked one up for less than $7.00 and it’s been working great. $20 cheaper than Sigg and no wait lists!
@GamblesAC2: I’d say it’s more that Glen Beck tends to sound stupid from what I’ve seen of him. He may be very smart when you get to know him, but from what I’ve seen, he’s smarmy and ignorant.
Granted, I could see getting the same impression of Keith Oberman at first glance, too. I’m a traditional liberal, so I’m biased, but I’m willing to listen to other’s viewpoints. Send me some clips of Beck being smart and insightful, and I’ll rethink my opinion of him.
I really loathe the media when it comes to this stuff. Since the very beginning of this controversy it’s easy to see the people screaming about this are either A) environmentalists looking to trash plastics because it’s part of their agenda or B) journalists looking for the next “This common household product could be killing you and your family, don’t miss this investigative report at 11!”
The whole thing is just silly. I use a Sigg because, well, it is more environmentally friendly to use a reusable, recyclable metal container to drink out of. But I’m not gonna go around the house looking for plastics that may contain BPA because the threat it poses is blown out of proportion by paranoids, people with an agenda, and sensationalists.
But please, I welcome a non biased study that says the actual measured trace amounts of BPA contained in normal water (I’m not gonna start drinking boiling water out of it, let’s keep the test realistic here) out of a drinking bottle manufactured using BPA actually increases my risk of some adverse health effect in some significant way.
All of you people saying that the FDA needs to do its job, could it be that THEY ARE, and all of the hype off of the latest health scare might be WRONG, and that the studies saying it might be harmful if you consume a few kilograms of it a day might be dealing with unrealistic doses? THE HORRORS! YOUR BANDWAGON CAUSE MIGHT NOT BE 100% CORRECT AND THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS!
This is very odd… 3-4 years ago I learned that BPA was dangerous… but it was shown to be most dangerous in trace amounts, not huge doses. The folks presenting the data said an outright ban was the best solution.
Is there actually any substance that does not leach in water to some molecular extent, to which would – in large enough quantities – cause some kind of health risk?
Next they’ll be telling us it’s SAFER to drink from BpA bottles because it kills bacteria.
It is a good idea to question the authorities on these issues (also: immunizations, war policies, farm/food policies, women/infant health care, etc). They are gray issues at first and second glance. We should consider comparable nations’ (e.g., Japan, W Europe, Canada) decisions. Everyone should be willing to admit that the USA has allowed offbase and irresponsible (but profitable in the short-term) decision-making and that it still does so.
Bottom line: Other nations with similar quality-of-life have banned this stuff. We made sure that our kids’ bottles were made of good material and in England.
I find it funny to watch people sucking back cigarettes while drinking water out of a fancy stainless steel/aluminium bottle complain that the BPA in Nalgenes is bad for you
STFU!!!
“Is there actually any substance that does not leach in water to some molecular extent, to which would – in large enough quantities – cause some kind of health risk?”
Yes, it’s called glass. Glass is inert.
@GamblesAC2: It has nothing to do with Glenn Beck’s party affiliation. (BTW, wasn’t there a time when, in order to be respected as a journalist, you were, by default, non-partisan?)
It’s because he’s a reactionary moron.
* The man accused a sitting member of Congress of being an enemy of the United States, solely on the basis of the Congressman’s religion.
* He’s suggested using the corpses of illegal immigrants as an alternative fuel source, a la Birkenau.
* And, he’s publicly advocated the murder of critics of the Bush Administration.
@FLConsumer: Yes, Breast Is Best, but breast-fed babies also use bottles. Mommies just pump the milk so Daddies can feed them too! (I feed our baby when the wife is shooting weddings–we don’t use formula).
@mariospants: Yes, it’s called glass. Glass is inert.
@carbonmade: Thanks for pointing that out! Many breastfeeding moms aren’t willing or able to stay home full time — or, god forbid, just want a night out away from their baby once in a while
And then there are those of us who pumped exclusively. My little guy stopped nursing at 2 months old for reasons no one (including a lactation consultant) could ever figure out, and I pumped for him for the next 10 months. That’s part of the reason the BPA thing freaks me out so much — his milk wasn’t just served in bottles containing BPA, it was also stored in them for days.
If the FDA makes a special effort to calls it “safe” then it is indeed toxic.