FDA to revisit BPA safety
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA will take a second look at bisphenol A in containers, said Commissioner Peggy Hamburg at a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing June 3. Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., asked Hamburg June 2 to reconsider the "possible dangers" of BPA at current exposure levels. He questioned FDA's conclusion under the Bush administration that BPA is safe and urged Hamburg to scrutinize FDA's reliance on industry studies (1"The Tan Sheet" Aug. 25, 2008, In Brief). FDA is reevaluating another Bush era move - its 2006 decision to restrict sales of OTC emergency contraceptive Plan B (2"The Tan Sheet" April 27, 2009, p. 6)
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FDA says BPA exposure is safe
FDA concludes the current levels of bisphenol A - a chemical in the container liners of prepared liquid infant formula - that transfer to foods and are absorbed by children are "safe," according to a draft report released Aug. 14. Based on published risk assessments, the agency estimates BPA exposure from food contact materials in infants is less than half the established level for no observed adverse effect. Some scientists, physicians and children's health advocates "expressed outrage" with the agency's conclusion, according to a release from the Center for Health Environment and Justice. Dissenters say FDA relies on two studies funded by the American Chemical Council and ignores dozens of other studies that highlight risks. FDA, however, says that limits in study design and data quality are insufficient to lower the current NOAEL for BPA. Michigan Democrats John Dingell, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Bart Stupak asked FDA to reconsider BPA safety in infant formulas in April (1"The Tan Sheet" April 21, 2008, In Brief)