Jan. 15, 2010 – Americans should take “reasonable steps” to avoid the
plastics chemical BPA, the FDA says.
BPA, or bisphenol A, is everywhere. Created more than 40 years ago, millions
of tons are made each year and used in a wide variety of products including
plastic bottles and food can liners. More than 90% of Americans have
detectable BPA in their bodies.
In 2008, the FDA issued a “draft assessment” finding that BPA was safe. But
a short time later, the National Toxicology Program disagreed, noting “some
concern” that BPA exposure during pregnancy or infancy might be bad for a
person's long-term health.
Now the FDA says it officially agrees there is concern over fetus/infant
exposure to BPA. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, announced the change of
course — and the start of a $30 million BPA research program — at a news
conference.
“At this time, we share the perspective of the NTP of some concern of health
effects of BPA. This means we need to know more,” Hamburg said. “In the
interim, as a precaution, the FDA is taking reasonable steps to help reduce
human exposure to BPA.”
Exactly what are the “concerns” over BPA? Linda Birnbaum, PhD, director of
the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, spelled it out.
“There are critical periods of development when exposure to BPA may lead to
certain health effects, including behavioral effects, diabetes, reproductive
disorders, development of certain kinds of cancers, asthma, cardiovascular
disease, and effects that can go from one generation to the next,” Birnbaum
said at the news conference.
The findings come from two previous National Institutes of
Health studies that focused on developmental and reproductive effects.
What about the
adult health concerns raised by more recent studies?
The National Institutes of Health studies “focused on developmental and
reproductive effects,” Birnbaum said. “That is what led to our concern. It
never looked at effects in adults, which is a different issue.”
That's why the National Institutes of Health officially has “negligible
concern” over adult health problems from BPA.
Despite it's newly increased concern, the FDA has not banned BPA and does
not consider BPA-containing products, such as plastic baby bottles or
plastic-lined cans of baby formula, to be unsafe.
In fact, the FDA says the risk of BPA from canned formula is far less than
the risk of feeding a baby less nourishing food.
Nevertheless, U.S. health agencies are advising Americans to take
“reasonable steps” to avoid BPA. Their advice:
Breastfeed infants for at least 12 months. If breastfeeding is impractical,
iron-fortified formula should be used regardless of whether it comes in cans
lined with BPA-containing plastic.
Discard scratched baby bottles or scratched sippy cups.
Don't put boiling water in BPA-containing plastic bottles. Mix powdered
formula with water boiled in a BPA-free container and cooled to lukewarm.
Warm ready-to-feed liquid formula by running warm water over the outside of
the bottle. Do not heat any kind of baby bottle in the microwave.
Make sure plastic bottles and containers are labeled “microwave safe” or
“dishwasher safe” before putting them in the appropriate appliance.
Discard all plastic food containers with scratches.
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Louis Warner