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Sept. 16, 2008 -- Researchers and environmental groups attacked the FDA for concluding that a widely used plastic ingredient is safe for humans, saying the agency ignored critical studies showing potential ill health effects.
The comments came at a hearing called by the FDA to examine the science around bisphenol A (BPA). The chemical is used in hard plastic products, including some baby and water bottles, and is also used to line metal food cans.
A growing number of advocacy groups and some members of Congress have called on regulators to ban bisphenol A.
A recent draft report by FDA scientists concluded that the amount of BPA humans typically consume in food and drinks does not pose a health risk.
Craig Henry, chief operating officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, submitted testimony at the hearing that the FDA performed a thorough, well-documented review of the available toxicological information. He said the research used a sound analytical approach and that the FDA's evaluation of the science on BPA was comprehensive.
And Steven Hentges, PhD, a scientist with the American Plastics Council, called the FDA's preliminary review "completely appropriate." He also said the industry supports more research into alleged brain and other health effects of BPA.
But several scientists have warned that the agency had discounted studies suggesting health effects in animals at BPA levels far below what regulators say are safe.
"Since these food containers are not proven safe, the FDA should not be assuring us that they are safe," said Diane Zuckerman, head of the National Research Center for Women and Families. "It does feel like there's been a rush to judgment."
Critics pointed to five studies linking BPA exposure in brain alterations and abnormal prostate growth in rodents. Those effects were seen at levels many times lower than what the FDA concluded is safe for people.
BPA has been studied for years. But researchers struggle with the fact that most studies are in animals. A human study released today linked urinary levels of bisphenol A to an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults.
"It is very clear that that the FDA cannot conclude with certainly that BPA is safe. That option is no longer open to you given these new data," said John Peterson Myers, CEO and chief scientist at the group Environmental Health Sciences.
Some researchers criticized the FDA for concluding that ordinary BPA exposure is safe for infants, who may consume it daily if they are drinking formula from a plastic bottle.
Frederick vom Saal, a toxicologist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, told an FDA advisory panel that the ability of infants to metabolize BPA has not been well studied.
"Any talk about what is going on in a newborn baby is just based on a guess, an assumption," he said. "This is a black hole of information."