[Pharmwaste] Consumers confused over BPA advice

Thu Oct 30 13:22:45 EDT 2008

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27440468/

Consumers confused over BPA advice 

Sorting out health officials' conflicting opinions on the chemical

The Associated Press
updated 4:14 p.m. ET, Wed., Oct. 29, 2008

WASHINGTON - BPA - a chemical used in food containers - is so widespread
that most people have traces of it in their bodies.

But health officials can't decide if that's a problem, or something we
all can live with.

Bisphenol A is useful for hardening plastics to make all sorts of
consumer products, from CDs to baby bottles. And the canning industry
uses it for coatings that prevent leaks and bacterial contamination in
metal food containers.

Some scientists are concerned that BPA could be harmful, since it mimics
some of the effects of a powerful hormone, estrogen. Infants may be
particularly vulnerable because their bodies are developing and cannot
eliminate the chemical as quickly.

Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration issued a scientific
assessment that BPA is safe and asked independent scientists to review
its conclusion. That report - made public Tuesday - found that the FDA's
science was badly flawed. The FDA did not consider all the evidence and
its margin of safety for human exposure to BPA could be off by a factor
of ten times or more, the outside scientists said.

Know your plastics

While the experts sort out the issue, what are the options for worried
consumers? Here are some questions and answers:

Q: It sounds like BPA is everywhere, how can people avoid it?

A: "Get to know your plastics," says Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist
with Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports. Avoid
polycarbonate plastic containers, those imprinted with the recycling
number "7" and the letters "PC." Don't microwave foods in these
containers. Don't use polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. Consider
powdered infant formula instead of liquid formula in cans. Cut down on
canned foods.

"If you the consumer want to take matters into your own hands while the
science is being sorted out here, those are the things you can do that
will directly reduce your level of exposure to BPA," said Rangan.

One thing mothers should not do is stop giving their infants proper
nutrition because of fears about BPA, says acting Surgeon General Steven
Galson. "While the best source of nutrition for babies is the mother's
breast milk, infant formula remains the recommended alternative when
breast milk is not an option," he said.

Q: Wait a minute, aren't some people overreacting here? Has anybody died
from BPA?

A: No direct cause-and-effect relationship has been established to show
that exposure to small amounts of BPA harms people.

But many scientific studies have raised that possibility, and some
government scientists believe it should not be dismissed lightly.
Chemical exposures that cause harm over a long time are hard to detect.

The National Toxicology Program conducted its own BPA assessment earlier
this year, and differed with the FDA. The toxicology program found "some
concern" for BPA effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in
fetuses, infants and children at current exposure levels. "Some concern"
is right in the middle of the toxicologists' five-level scale for
ranking the possible harmful effects of chemicals.

The independent panel that reviewed the FDA's assessment said the agency
needs to go back and take a second look at several studies it earlier
dismissed.

Q: What's going to happen now?

A: On Friday, the FDA's Science Board will meet to discuss the
controversy in public. It was a subcommittee of the Science Board that
issued the report criticizing FDA's safety analysis. But FDA officials
say it could take two to five years to complete additional research and
reach a final conclusion.

If scientific evidence against BPA mounts and U.S. regulators don't act,
Congress may try to restrict some uses for the chemical.

"If FDA continues to dismiss independent scientific evaluations of BPA,
correcting the issue legislatively is an option," said Rep. Rosa
DeLauro, D-Conn., chairwoman of a committee with jurisdiction over the
FDA budget.

Q: What would be the downside of just banning BPA altogether?

A: The canning industry thinks there would be unintended consequences.
The chemical is used to make epoxy resins that coat and seal the inside
of cans. That prevents leaks and keeps bacteria from contaminating the
foods inside.

"Although we are looking for alternatives, they are not readily
available, and there is no 'drop-in' replacement for these uses," said
John Rost, chairman of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, a
trade group. "Quick changes that have not been evaluated could impact
the real safety issue: food poisoning."

Short of a ban on all BPA in food containers, Canada has banned it in
baby bottles as a precaution.

Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email:   dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permit Programs
Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218 (NEW!)
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219
PH:         804-698-4028
FAX:      804-698-4032