FDA

With the emergence of a number of scientific studies emerge regarding the health effects of bisphenol A, the case for bisphenol A's elimination from food products grows ever stronger. Recent studies have connected the chemical to a myriad of health problems, largely related to hormonal disruptions, and in light of these overwhelming studies, the case for eliminating bisphenol A from the food system has made it to Congress at last.

According to an article posted this weekend on the York Daily Record, a testimony was made before a Senate subcommittee in Philadelphia stating that ten newborn babies were just found to contain more than 200 chemicals in their blood, before they were even able to be affected by the air they breathed, food, or water.

In an article authored by Margaret Cuomo, M.D., a discussion is raised regarding the safety of the foods consumers are presented with, and the omnipresent chemical known as bisphenol A. The article begins by announcing the recent defeat of bisphenol A by the United States Food and Drug Administration, but asks the question: how much of a victory is this achievement?

An update from the American Nurses Association states that, while Bisphenol A has been banned by the US Food and Drug Administration, plastic products are still unsafe due to the substitution of the chemical Bisphenol S. Jerome Mayer writes that BPS is actually much more harmful than BPA, and can be absorbed up to 19 times more quickly. So, why is this happening? Why is the FDA continuing to use allow chemicals to enter human bodies? Mayer explains:

In an extensive piece published on the Huffington Post Green site today, food writer Kristin Wartman discusses the recent legislation passed by the United States Food and Drug Administration banning bisphenol-A in baby bottles, and the political implications it has had. While bisphenol-A is no longer allowed to be used in baby products, there are a number of endocrine disruptors with similar properties that could be taking its place. Wartman writes that:

In response to the United States Food and Drug Administration's recent ban on the chemical bisphenol-A, a geneticist at Washington State University has declared that this ban gives the false impression that plastic bottles are now safe. The truth of the matter, says Patricia Hunt, is that a number of other endocrine disrupting chemicals are often used in lieu of BPA, and can be equally dangerous to individual health. Writes reporter Dave Cotton:

After months of battling with the United States Food and Drug Administration to ban the chemical bisphenol-A, a member of the House of Representatives has discovered a new tactic in lobbying the FDA which has been met with promising results. According to Dina ElBoghdady of the Washington Post, Representative Edward Markey (D- Mass.) has taken a different approach to requesting action from the FDA, calling upon a clause which allows people to petition for a ban of a particular substance if evidence can be shown that a majority of suppliers have stopped using the substance already.

In a piece published by Scientific American on Monday, scientists Frederick S. vom Saal and Patricia A. Hunt discuss their research on the effects bisphenol-A can have on the body, and the United States Food and Drug Administration's descision to classify BPA as harmless to humans. According to vom Saal and Hunt, there have been hundreds of peer reviewed studies which have proved the detrimental effects of bisphenol-A, a number of which they have personally contributed to.

In a story published on Wednesday, writer Laura MacCleery discusses a story recently published on the New York Times, which portrayed her efforts to keep her home toxin-free as the efforts of an overprotective, neurotic parent. MacCleery addresses the criticism of the New York Times through her perspective as a mother, a role that she says is highly contingent on being a competent risk assessor. This is a role that the FDA does not take on, and according to MacCleery,

Recently, Sandy Bauers from Philly.com Green shared her views on the bisphenol-A issue through her blog, "Green Space." She discusses the FDA's deciscion to halt a ban on bisphenol A, but to continue research on the facts regardless, and comments that "If the FDA doesn't know or isn't sure, it can't allow the chemical's use." This mention of the use of a precautionary principle is an important point, and highlights an unnessecary risk taken by the FDA. Baurs quotes Tom Philpott of Mother Jones in saying: