FDA Says BPA Food Plastic Is Safe But Awaits New Panel Report

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Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals;  Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 17 Sep 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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As the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) awaits final recommendations from an expert panel, the agency is tentatively defending its current position that products made with BPA (bisphenol A) are safe, while also giving tips to consumers on how to reduce their exposure to the chemical which can be found in trace amounts in over 90 per cent of people in the US. The current view from the FDA is that the levels are too low to cause harm, even in babies and children.

Because of its ability to make plastic hard, BPA is used in a wide range of consumer and medical products, from baby bottles to sunglasses and CDs, and in the coating inside metal food and drink cans.

According to a report by the Associated Press, Director of FDA's Office of Food Additive Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Dr Laura Tarantino told reporters:

"Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it's safe, so we're not recommending any change in habits."

But Tarantino then went to say that, "there are a number of things people can do to lower their exposure."

An FDA advisory committee met on Tuesday 16th September to review the evidence on BPA, at the same time as the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study suggesting that higher levels of urinary BPA were linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities. The preliminary study was based on evidence from 1,500 adults and the authors said the findings were strong enough to warrant further investigation.

The panel is due to give its final recommendations towards the end of October.

Tarantino acknowledged the need for more research, but said the evidence from animal studies, which have been more thorough than those on humans, does not support the suggestion that BPA is harmful at the levels currently found in the population.

To reduce exposure to BPA, the FDA suggests consumers:

• Avoid plastic containers showing the number 7 in the recycling symbol.


• Avoid heating up food (for example in a microwave) in such containers because heat increases the release of BPA in the plastic.

The AP reported that several states are thinking about restricting use of BPA and some manufacturers have started selling baby bottles that have no BPA, while some stores are phasing out products made with BPA.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a major source of concern is the amount of BPA that could be in premixed liquid formulas for infants. BPA isn't found in powdered formula containers, said the FDA.

Although the main route by which BPA gets into the body is via food packaging and containers, it can also come in via drinking water and dental sealants, and because it is so ubiquitous (it is one the world's highest production volume chemicals and the demand is growing) it is also present in household dust and can get in via the skin and by being inhaled, said the authors of the new JAMA study.

Source: FDA, AP, WSJ, MNT archives.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD


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