Risk factor in plastics

Thursday, April 17, 2008 | 2:05 a.m.

A chemical used in the making of thousands of plastic products, including baby bottles, may not be as safe as the Food and Drug Administration claims.

Government scientists released a draft report this week raising “some concern” that bisphenol A, or BPA, poses health hazards for fetuses and children when trace amounts leach into food and drinks.

The report was issued by the National Toxicology Program, composed of a group of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Institutes of Health and the FDA.

Their pronouncement of “some concern” is more precise than it sounds. The expression falls in the middle of their rating system, which ranges from “serious concern” to “negligible concern.”

Cautioning that more research is needed, the scientists reported that there is “some concern for neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children at current human exposures” to BPA. They added there is some concern that “low-level exposure to BPA during development can cause changes in behavior, the brain, prostate gland, mammary gland and the age at which females attain puberty.”

Although environmental groups have been raising alarms about BPA in plastic food and drink containers for years, the FDA has never even established exposure guidelines.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been investigating the use of BPA in the manufacture of plastic liners placed in metal cans of baby formula, and, as well, the influence of the chemical industry on the FDA.

The newspaper reported that last month, in response to lawmakers’ questions, the federal agency said it had disregarded hundreds of government and academic studies about the cancer risks of BPA and used just two studies funded by the chemical industry to determine the chemical is safe.

Such a cavalier attitude toward this chemical by the FDA must end immediately. This week’s report, while not definitive, provides more than sufficient reason for the FDA to immediately follow up with more research, with an eye toward strict regulation of bisphenol A.