The FDA Weighs In; BPA in Plastic Bottles is OK

The continuing saga of BPA

We have been following closely the recent developments in the story of a chemical compound called bisphenol A (BPA), a hardening agent found in many plastics. In an earlier entry I noted international confusion about what it is, why it might be a danger to health, how it was tested and some conclusions of that testing, whether valid or not. The story continues.

The federal government is wonderful to behold. Many people before me have observed that some government agencies have names so long and complicated that there must be precious little room on a page of stationery for a message.

On Tuesday, June10th, at a hearing held by [get this] the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, a panelist from the Food and Drug Administration, seeking to ease public concerns about the health hazards of BPA used in some plastic products, said that the agency has no reason to recommend that consumers stop using products containing BPA. Small amounts of bisphenol A can be released as plastics break down. Dr. Norris Alderson, the Food and Drug Administration's associate commissioner for science, said, however, that the level of exposure was safe. He further noted that some studies had reported higher release levels than projected by the agency, but many of those studies were conducted under unrealistic conditions.

A group of Democratic senators and consumer groups continues to be sufficiently concerned that they are calling for a ban of BPA in all children's products, including baby bottles and sippy cups.

The National Toxicology Program said in a recent draft report that there is "some concern" that bisphenol A can cause changes in behavior and the brain, as well as reduce survival and birth weight in fetuses. Those conclusions were drawn from animal studies and would be a stretch to equate to human behavior.

The bottom line becomes -- the FDA has approved the use of BPA in plastics. If you want to go with that, fine. But once again, if you don't want any BPA in any water bottles you might order from us, the you won't HAVE any BPA.

Information collected from the Wall Street Journal, June 11, written by Melanie Trottman; and from an Associated Press story published by the Arizona Republic