FDA reviewing decision on safety of BPA

DailyAdvance.com: "The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing its conclusion from last year that a much-debated chemical used in baby bottles and food containers is safe for infants.

The news came just hours after two influential Democrats sent a letter Tuesday questioning that decision to new FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. She has pledged to restore confidence in the agency by putting science first in its decision-making process.

The FDA ruled last year that trace amounts of bisphenol-A, or BPA, that leach out of bottles and food packaging are not dangerous. But the agency's own advisers faulted the report for relying on a small number of industry-sponsored studies. And consumer advocates said it ignored dozens of animal studies suggesting the chemical can interfere with infant hormone levels.

FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said the agency's chief scientist, Dr. Jesse Goodman, was recently asked to 'take a fresh look at this important issue from a scientific and policy position.'

'He intends to review all the data, listen to people on all sides of this issue, and talk to experts inside and outside of the federal government,' Herndon said in a statement. The agency's review will be completed in 'weeks not months,' he added."