Should Bisphenol A Be Banned?

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A very important bill on food safety will come before the Senate before Memorial Day. But a recent amendment regarding Bisphenol A (BPA) may stall the bill’s approval. Food industry groups and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are threatening to pull support of the food safety bill if the amendment goes through. Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat-California) called for the food safety bill to place a ban on BPA from food and beverage containers.

BPA is a chemical used primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Over the years, toxicologists raised concerns that BPA may cause neurological harm to a fetus, infants and children and called for a BPA ban in baby bottles because of the link to endocrine disruption for infants.

Some states banned the sale of baby bottles made from BPA, but even so, the linings in canned foods are the primary source for most Americans. The National Toxicological Program, from Health and Human Services looked into the matter. The NTP declared there was some concern and called for further study (see the chart below). And the National Institutes of Health are in the process of completing a $30 million study with results trickling in by next year. The answers may not be too far away.

Is concern over BPA warranted?

Does the NTP’s declaration of some concern warrant Feinstein’s insistence on a ban of BPA? Another bill introduced this month could help speed things up even if Feinstein doesn’t get her way. Senator Lautenberg and Congressmen Waxman introduced “The Safe Chemicals Act” on April 15, 2010.

The Safe Chemicals Act will refresh an old worn out Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976 and give the EPA stronger investigative thunder and better yet place the burden on the industry to actually prove a chemical is safe to the public. In an interview with Time Magazine, Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician at the Stanford School of Medicine stated, “It’s time to stop using kids as the canaries in the coal mine…I couldn’t be more excited that this law is being introduced.”

What can you do in the meantime? First, switch to fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. If you absolutely must eat canned products, here is the latest from Consumer Reports on specific brands and BPA residues.

Feinstein’s bill is getting some pushback from industry groups, despite the fact that there are more than 200 studies linking BPA to a number of health concerns including cancer and developmental and reproductive problems. The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Chamber of Commerce. The GMA said “we will not support food safety legislation that bans or phases out BPA from any food or beverage container.”

Kimberly Stewart can be reached at eatingbetweenthelines@gmail.com

To download an excerpt from Eating Between the Lines, click here.

Read Kimberly Stewart's next blog, Is Our Good-Productions System Vulnerable to Black Swans?, here, and the rest of her blogs here.

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