Saturday, January 16, 2010

FDA on BPA- Oops!

The US Food and Drug Administration carries the tag line, "Protecting and Promoting Your Health."  They tried to sway the public's concern one year ago by defending the safety of bisphenol A (BPA).  Although the research was robust even a year ago, they stuck to their guns and said there was no legitimate cause for concern.  To their credit, they recently reversed that position and acknowledged potential harm to consumers.  BPA is a compound found in plastic bottle, cans and plastic food containers.

Their statement reads, "FDA shares the perspective of the National Toxicology Program that recent studies provide reason for some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children."


The FDA is now:
1.  Supporting the industry's actions to stop producing BPA-containing bottles and infant feeding cups for the U.S. market.


2. Facilitating the development of alternatives to BPA for the linings of infant formula cans.

I'm glad that the FDA finally acknowledges the concern. It kind of makes you wonder what other chemicals are leaching into our bodies.  What are the effects?

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