In The News - FDA: Chemical found in plastic bottles (BPA) is safe

I know, I already talked about this back in July in another post, but this deserves a rehashing since it's a topic that had so many people "up in arms" about baby bottles. Once again I am a few days late and maybe you already heard, but I was trying to catch up in my reading on MSNBC and came across the article, FDA: Chemical found in plastic bottles is safe.

Yeah, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says Bisphenol A is safe, yada yada yada. But people are still in rampant disagreement with them.

Despite ongoing safety concerns from parents, consumer groups and politicians, a chemical used in baby bottles, canned food and other items is not dangerous, federal regulators said Friday.

Food and Drug Administration scientists said the trace amounts of bisphenol A that leach out of food containers are not a threat to infants or adults. The agency acknowledged that more research is needed to fully understand the chemical’s effects on humans, and noted “there are always uncertainties associated with safety decisions.”

The FDA previously declared the chemical safe, but agreed to revisit that opinion after a report by the federal National Toxicology Program said there was “some concern” about its risks to infants.

Chief among the dissenters is the Environmental Health Sciences group whose chief scientist claims "the agency disregarded recent studies of bisphenol’s effects included in the National Toxicology Program’s April draft report.

"That group’s review of animal studies suggested low doses of bisphenol can cause changes in behavior and the brain, and that it may reduce survival and birth weight in fetuses. A final version of the group’s findings is expected next month."

I, personally, stand with the FDA. With 93% of Americans testing positive for BPA in their bloodstream I just don't see how it's possible to significantly limit the effects of the chemical to children by simply banning it in baby bottles. And, as we have already talked about in our post on Plastics, it's not something where you can just say "ban it" (no matter what you are banning) and then it's gone for good.

Plastics, for good or bad, are in our lives (and the lives of our very very very future ancestors) for good (or most likely bad). I guess we'll just stay tuned and see how it all plays out in the end.