FDA Ignoring The Dangers Of BPA. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be ignoring the dangers of Bisphenol A—BPA—a ubiquitous, toxic chemical used in
FDA Ignoring The Dangers Of BPA. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appears to be ignoring the dangers of Bisphenol A—BPA—a ubiquitous, toxic chemical used in many, many consumer products and linked to a wide variety of health concerns. Critics plan to accuse the FDA at a public meeting Tuesday of ignoring scientific warnings about BPA’s health risks.
Last month, the FDA announced that BPA is safe at current levels found in food products; however, parents, lawmakers, and scientists say the report contradicts another government study citing concerns that low BPA levels may lead to developmental health problems. The FDA based its findings on two reports conducted by the chemical industry, which along with the agencies that regulate Bisphenol A use—FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—deemed BPA safe. Hundreds of non-industry studies reveal BPA may be associated with health problems such as Type-2 diabetes, prostate cancer, genital defects in males, early onset puberty in females, and behavioral problems. First synthesized in 1891, BPA is used to make plastics hard; its global market is estimated in the billions of dollars, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report BPA is in the urine of the vast majority of Americans.
FDA Ignoring The Experts
“What the hell is the FDA doing ignoring the world’s leading experts on the subject?” asked Frederick vom Saal, a professor of reproductive biology and neurobiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, who authored one of the first studies in 1997 linking low BPA doses to prostate cancer. At FDA invitation, vom Saal and other scientists will speak Tuesday. Vom Saal says the FDA has been ignoring, for five years, science showing BPA affects on human health. “This is the kind of thing you would think would scare the heck out of anybody in the public health community,” vom Saal said.
Vom Saal was part of a group of over 30 scientists invited by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last year to review worldwide BPA studies and concluded BPA exposure at current levels presents a clear risk to human h