Activists at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are patting themselves on the back now that the FDA has agreed to respond to their petition demanding a ruling on bisphenol A s (BPA) health risks or lack thereof. According to a federal court settlement, the FDA will have to decide by March 31 whether to ban, restrict, or otherwise regulate BPA, which is present in everything from hard, clear plastic products to the linings of metal food containers, and has been in widespread use for over 40 years.
Although the FDA along with every scientific authority to have evaluated the chemical has held that the low levels of BPA we re exposed to daily are not a health hazard, they will be investing an impressive sum $30 million to research this issue further.
ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross counters the unfounded claims made about the supposed dangers of BPA, and says, While the NRDC is claiming this as some sort of victory, anyone who actually supports sound science should be happy too. The uncertainty is good for no one, and if the FDA sticks to the science and ignores political pressure from anti-chemical activist groups, the agency will uphold the evidence showing that BPA is not a danger to our health.
