15 January 2010 — Despite growing evidence to the contrary, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has long held that bisphenol A (BPA) – used to make the hard, clear plastic polycarbonate – is safe even when indirectly ingested via plastic baby bottles or canned food linings. This has now changed as the government begins to raise flags about BPA. The FDA just released it’s Update on Bisphenol for Use in Food Contact Applications: January 2010,
and states that it has “some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children. In cooperation with the National Toxicology Program, FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research is carrying out in-depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties about the risks of BPA.”
This moves the U.S. more in the direction of Canada, where the Canadian Government has designated BPA as toxic and banned its use in baby bottles. The FDA will now carry out in-depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties about the risks of BPA. In the interim, the FDA has posted BPA information for parents, including recommendations on how to reduce exposure to BPA.
Image credit: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)