Bpa

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrationannounced Friday that it will not ban the use of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, in food packaging. [For the record: In an earlier version of this post, the Natural Resources Defense Council was misidentified as the National Resources Defense Council. ] In a 12-page letter,David H. Dorsey, FDA acting associate commissioner for policy and planning, wrote that the the Natural Resources Defense Council, which had petitioned the agency to change its regulations on use of the chemical, had not provided sufficient scientific evidence to change the current regulations.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrationannounced Friday that it will not ban the use of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, in food packaging. [For the record: In an earlier version of this post, the Natural Resources Defense Council was misidentified as the National Resources Defense Council. ] In a 12-page letter,David H. Dorsey, FDA acting associate commissioner for policy and planning, wrote that the the Natural Resources Defense Council, which had petitioned the agency to change its regulations on use of the chemical, had not provided sufficient scientific evidence to change the current regulations.

Bisphenol-A, also known as BPA, is often used to make clear, hard plastics and to line cans containing food.  It can mimic estrogen in the human body, and has been associated with adverse health effects such as reproductive abnormalities and a higher risk of cancer and diabetes.   In many places, the substance has been banned in baby bottles and other containers.  Reports about the risks it poses usually garner a lot of attention.  But regulators have been slow to knock BPA use.  The Food and Drug Administration has called for further study of BPA, but has not banned the substance.

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council asking for a ban on the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, saying that scientific studies cited in the group's petition “failed to provide sufficient data … to revoke regulations permitting the use of BPA in food contact materials.” BPA is a chemical that mimics estrogen in the body.  It is often used to make and line food containers and...

An expert panel convened last week by the World Health Organization recommended that public health officials hold off on regulations limiting or banning the use of bisphenol A . BPA, as it's commonly known, is used widely in plastic food receptacles and in the linings of cans. BPA that has seeped into food is the primary source of BPA exposure, the WHO panel reported. Scientists at the meeting determined that smaller amounts of the chemical lurk in house dust, soil, toys, dental treatments and thermal cash register receipts.  They said that models of the way BPA circulates through the body showed that BPA is quickly eliminated through urine and does not accumulate in the body.

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that the safety of a controversial chemical found in some baby bottles, children's drinking cups and other food containers merited further study but did not warrant immediate restrictions on its use. The FDA, the Department of Health and Human Services and other health agencies have committed $30 million to studying the health effects of bisphenol A, or BPA, and expect results in 18 to 24 months....

A consumer advocacy group's analysis of canned goods has found measurable levels of the chemical additive bisphenol A (BPA) across a range of foods, including some that were labeled "BPA free." Children eating multiple servings of some of the tested food could get doses of BPA "near levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies," according to the survey released Monday by Consumers Union, a nonprofit organization that publishes Consumer Reports. The findings bolster the case for banning BPA from use in materials that come in contact with food and beverages -- such as can linings, baby bottles and sippy cups -- the group said in a letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council asking for a ban on the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, saying that scientific studies cited in the group's petition “failed to provide sufficient data … to revoke regulations permitting the use of BPA in food contact materials.” BPA is a chemical that mimics estrogen in the body.  It is often used to make and line food containers and...

Re "State moves to ban BPA," June 3 Connecticut has just become the first state to ban the toxic chemical bisphenol A, commonly dubbed BPA, from baby food cans and plastic containers. A similar measure, introduced by state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) also passed the California Senate by a narrow margin last week. Californians should thank Pavley for standing up to the mega-chemical industry. BPA is a synthetic hormone used in plastic containers and lining metal cans of food and baby formula.

The feds are spending $30 million to discover the potential health risks of the controversial chemical bisphenol A, or BPA. They could just have asked Maine Gov. Paul LePage. The state's top official told the Bangor Daily News in an interview last week: "The only thing that I’ve heard is if you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards. " There's more to it than that.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that it would not ban the use of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, in food packaging but said it would continue research on the health effects of the widely used chemical. Although it rejected a petition by an environmental group to outlaw the compound in food and beverage containers, the agency did not close the door on future regulation. "This is not a final safety determination on BPA," FDA spokesman Douglas Karas said. "There is a commitment to doing a thorough evaluation of the risk of BPA. " Scientists are still working to determine what effects BPA, which mimics estrogen in the body, has on human health once ingested.

For consumers, a major problem with judging the threat posed by the chemical bisphenol A -- a chemical used in the manufacture of many plastics that can mimic estrogens in the body -- is that researchers disagree about how dangerous it really is.  (For more on this controversy, check out the related links to the left.) Now researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia studying deer mice are shedding light on another way to measure the chemical's effects: Look at subtle changes in animals' behavior and cognition -- specifically, sexually selected behavioral and cognitive traits that drive their ability to find and attract a mate.

Bisphenol-A, also known as BPA, is often used to make clear, hard plastics and to line cans containing food.  It can mimic estrogen in the human body, and has been associated with adverse health effects such as reproductive abnormalities and a higher risk of cancer and diabetes.   In many places, the substance has been banned in baby bottles and other containers.  Reports about the risks it poses usually garner a lot of attention.  But regulators have been slow to knock BPA use.  The Food and Drug Administration has called for further study of BPA, but has not banned the substance.

The feds are spending $30 million to discover the potential health risks of the controversial chemical bisphenol A, or BPA. They could just have asked Maine Gov. Paul LePage. The state's top official told the Bangor Daily News in an interview last week: "The only thing that I’ve heard is if you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards. " There's more to it than that.

An expert panel convened last week by the World Health Organization recommended that public health officials hold off on regulations limiting or banning the use of bisphenol A . BPA, as it's commonly known, is used widely in plastic food receptacles and in the linings of cans. BPA that has seeped into food is the primary source of BPA exposure, the WHO panel reported. Scientists at the meeting determined that smaller amounts of the chemical lurk in house dust, soil, toys, dental treatments and thermal cash register receipts.  They said that models of the way BPA circulates through the body showed that BPA is quickly eliminated through urine and does not accumulate in the body.

The evidence for bisphenol A's negative health effects keeps piling up. In a study released Monday in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the Harvard Medical School reported that the chemical interferes with reproduction in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans . Scientists had already shown that bisphenol A, which is used in many plastics and in the linings of food cans , is associated with...

The state Assembly passed a bill Thursday to ban the chemical Bisphenol-A from baby bottles and other items that come in contact with small children. The Toxin-Free Toddlers and Babies Act, or SB 797, would ban the use of BPA in feeding products, including formula, for children 3 years old and younger. BPA has been linked with health problems such as infertility, autism, asthma, hyperactivity and breast cancer. In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reversed its long-held position that BPA posed no concern, calling for more studies of the artificial hormone that often is used in shatter-proof plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and linings of cans, including those containing baby formula.

Exposure to high levels of bisphenol A, or BPA, appears to cause erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in men, according to a new study by the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute. Funded by the federal government and published in the journal Human Reproduction, the study is the first to examine the impact of BPA on the reproductive systems of men. Previous studies have involved mice or rats. BPA is found in thousands of consumer products, including dental sealants and canned food linings, and has been detected in the urine of 93% of Americans tested.

Bisphenol A is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastic used to make numerous consumer products. In recent years, studies have suggested that high levels of the chemical stored in the body can lead to adverse health effects. Prenatal exposure is thought to be particularly harmful because the chemical can mimic estrogen. High levels in pregnancy have been linked in some studies to an increased risk of obesity and behavioral problems in children. Research published Friday indicates that bisphenol A levels in pregnant women vary widely.

Concerns about the chemical bisphenol A and its potential health risks have led many consumers to be more careful about the containers they use to carry drinking water and feed their babies. The market has responded with water bottles labeled "BPA-free. " And then, in late July, the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, reported that high amounts of BPA are present in everyday cash register receipts, as much as 3% of the total weight of the receipt. Certainly, there would be real concerns if the bisphenol A on receipts readily sloughs off onto the fingers of cashiers and buyers, penetrates several layers of skin and enters the bloodstream at potentially toxic levels, says Kristina Thayer, a scientist at the National Toxicology Program, an interagency group charged with evaluating toxic chemicals.