Congress questions FDA objectivity on BPA plastic safety

USATODAY.com: "According to a letter to the FDA from Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak sent last week, the FDA hired a private consulting group with strong industry ties to perform some of its analyses of BPA. Work performed by Virginia-based ICF International 'formed the basis for the draft,' says Jodi Seth, a spokeswoman for the House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce, which Dingell chairs.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, also wants to know exactly who wrote the FDA report.

In a letter to the FDA last month, Grassley pointed out that the report appears to be anonymous. He has written to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to supply him with the names of everyone who worked on it."

Attorneys general from Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware have asked 11 companies to stop using BPA in baby bottles and formula cans. In response to Dingell and Stupak's investigation, major baby formula manufacturers have said they are working to take BPA out of the linings of their liquid formula cans

Scientists slam FDA report on bisphenol A chemical

JSOnline.com: "Lawmakers, scientists and advocacy groups intensified their criticism Thursday of a government report declaring bisphenol A to be safe.

• A group of 36 international scientists issued a blistering assessment of the Food and Drug Administration report, calling it seriously flawed.

• A congressman whose committee oversees the FDA wrote the commissioner, renewing his call for a ban of the controversial chemical.

• An advocacy group demanded that the FDA cancel its meeting next week to discuss the draft."

3rd Largest U.S. Supermarket Chain to Ban Baby Bottles with Bisphenol-A

thedailygreen.com: "Safeway will stop selling plastic baby bottles made with Bisphenol-A, the controversial chemical that mimics estrogen and has been linked to a range of health problems.

The nation's third-largest supermarket chain, Safeway has 1,775 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Its announcement comes just days after Canada announced it would ban the use of the chemical in baby bottles. The Food and Drug Administration has taken no action to restrict use of the chemical in the U.S., and has instead stood by its safety while being criticized for relying on industry-backed studies instead of a growing body of independent and government research. The National Toxicology Program, a U.S. agency, declared its concern over the health safety of the chemical just weeks ago.

Other retailers and manufacturers to announce voluntary bans on the use of Bisphenol-A in certain products include Whole Foods, Walmart, Toys-R-Us, Nalgene and Camelbak."

FDA Conspired with Chemical Industry to Declare Bisphenol-A Harmless

Natural News: "The FDA has been caught red-handed conspiring with the chemical industry to conclude that Bisphenol-A, the plastics chemical, is harmless to human health. As revealed by the Environmental Working Group (see below), the FDA based its evaluation of BPA on a report authored by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a trade group that represents chemical companies and plastics manufacturers."

Canada to Ban Bisphenol A in Baby Bottles, U.S. Urged to Follow

NBC Chicago: "Today in Washington, DC, the Natural Resources Defense Council petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of bisphenol A in all food packaging and as a food additive. 

The national nonprofit organization says in its petition that the chemical 'causes serious adverse health effects, and the FDA's continued approval of BPA for use in food packaging violates federal law.' 'When parents prepare their infant's bottle, pour their toddler's juice, or make their family dinner with a can of soup or vegetables, they shouldn't have to worry they are feeding their children dangerous chemicals,' said Dr. Sarah Janssen, scientist in the health program at the Natural Resources Defense Council."

Is it safe to heat food in plastic containers?

Salt Lake Tribune: "A five-month investigation by Good Housekeeping Research Institute, working with an independent laboratory, found that none of the food samples tested had BPA or phthalates in them after storage or microwaving. But there is more to understand. 

Technicians analyzed 31 containers, lids, bags, wraps and slow-cook liners to see whether BPA and phthalates were present. Four items had low levels of the chemicals - Rubbermaid Premier containers, Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids containers, Glad Storage Gallon Zipper Bags and Glad Press 'n Seal plastic wrap."

Plastics industry behind FDA research on bisphenol A, study finds

JS Online: "A government report claiming that bisphenol A is safe was written largely by the plastics industry and others with a financial stake in the controversial chemical, the Journal Sentinel found."

Although the Food and Drug Administration will not reveal who prepared its draft, the agency's own documents show that the work was done primarily by those with the most to gain by downplaying concerns about the safety of the chemical.

That includes Stephen Hentges, executive director of the American Chemistry Council's group on bisphenol A, who commissioned a review of all studies of the neurotoxicity of bisphenol A and submitted it to the FDA. The FDA then used that report as the foundation for its evaluation of the chemical on neural and behavioral development. The American Chemistry Council is a trade group representing chemical manufacturers.

The FDA's draft, released in August, found no cause for worry about bisphenol A, which is found in thousands of household products, including baby bottles, infant formula containers and the lining of aluminum cans.

That finding is at odds with the conclusions of the FDA's own advisers from the National Toxicology Program. The NTP announced in September that the chemical is of some concern for effects on the development of the prostate gland and brain, and for behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children. The NTP also found some concern for the neurodevelopment of young children, infants and fetuses.

U.S. Chemical Company Challenges Pesticide Ban

Embassymag: "The issue of free trade was largely a non-issue during our recent federal election. However, the North American Free Trade Agreement might have garnered a few headlines if the Feds had disclosed that U.S. chemical giant Dow signalled in late August that it is gearing up to sue Canada.

Dow Agrosciences insists Quebec's province-wide ban on the residential use of weed-killing chemicals breaches legal protections owed by Canada to U.S. investors under the NAFTA. The U.S. company, which has an extensive manufacturing and sales operation in Canada, wants to be compensated by the Feds for losses incurred to its star product, 2,4-D, one of the most popular chemical ingredients used in commercial pesticides."

Could affect BPA ban.

Health Canada Reaffirms Safety Of BPA For Use In Metal Food Packaging

NAMPA: "Today’s announcement by Health Canada regarding completion of its assessment of bisphenol A (BPA) offers reassurance to Canadians that the use of this chemical in the production of epoxy resins in metal food and beverage packaging presents no risk to consumers."

Health Canada also announced that it is continuing its efforts to work cooperatively with industry to develop a Code of Practice to evaluate infant formula and ensure the highest standards of protection for this use. NAMPA, along with manufacturers of canned infant formula, has been working cooperatively with the Canadian government since it began its review of BPA in April. Those efforts have focused on reevaluating the already exceedingly low levels of BPA to ensure that they represent the lowest achievable levels. NAMPA has been an active participant in this process from the start as it is consistent with its members’ commitment to the highest standards of product health and safety.

NAMPA is encouraged by Heath Canada’s assessment of the safety of metal packaging for food and beverages. Health Canada is well aware of the critical importance of epoxy coatings in protecting the food supply in Canada. We are gratified that following the Canadian assessment of BPA, government officials have reached the same conclusion as the United States Food and Drug Administration, the European Food Safety Authority, and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, among others, that BPA-based epoxy coatings are safe to use in contact with food and beverages.

Canada To Limit Bisphenol A In Baby Bottles

Planet Ark: "The Canadian government will move to limit sales of baby bottles made with the chemical bisphenol A, a suspected carcinogen widely used for hardening and shatterproofing plastic and lining food tins."

The announcement, published in the government's official newspaper the Canada Gazette on Saturday, comes amid mounting evidence it can leach into food and beverages.

The substance has been linked to cancer and infertility in laboratory animals and has also been tied to incidents of heart disease and diabetes in humans.

"It is concluded that bisphenol A be considered as a toxic substance that may be entering the environment in quantity or concentration or under conditions that constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health," the Canadian environment and health ministries said.

The government is proposing to allow the lowest amount of bisphenol A as "reasonably achievable in infant formula cans."

The announcement commits the government to working with industry to limit bisphenol A in the linings of infant formula tins but does not propose to eliminate it in the many other consumer products.