Agency: Chemical OK in food containers

WASHINGTON — A controversial chemical commonly found in can linings, baby bottles and other household products does not pose a health hazard when used in food containers, according to a draft assessment released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday.

FDA scientists said the trace amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) 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.

The plastic-hardening chemical, similar to the hormone estrogen, is used to seal canned food and make shatterproof bottles. It also is used in hundreds of household items, ranging from sunglasses to CDs.

The report stands in contrast to more than 100 studies performed by government scientists and university laboratories that have found health concerns associated with BPA. Some have linked the chemical to prostate and breast cancers, diabetes, behavioral disorders such as hyperactivity and reproductive problems in laboratory animals.

"FDA has concluded that an adequate margin of safety exists for BPA at current levels of exposure from food contact uses," regulators wrote in the draft report.

The chemical industry and the agencies that regulate the use of BPA, the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency, have deemed the chemical safe, largely on the strength of two industry-funded studies that found no problems.

Environmental groups criticized the agency's conclusions, which they said relied on industry-funded studies.

"It's ironic FDA would choose to ignore dozens of studies funded by [the National Institutes of Health] — this country's best scientists — and instead rely on flawed studies from industry," said Pete Myers, chief scientist for Environmental Health Sciences.

Myers said 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.

About 93 percent of Americans have traces of bisphenol in their urine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while the chemical is known to disrupt hormones at high levels, the FDA concluded the levels people are exposed to are thousands of times below what are dangerous.

The FDA released its preliminary re-evaluation ahead of a September meeting where outside advisers will debate the chemical's safety.

Concerns about the safety of BPA have kept the chemical industry on the defensive in recent months.

Canada has announced its intention to ban the use of the chemical in baby bottles, and state and federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban bisphenol in children's products.

Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, and Toys R Us, the largest toy seller, have said that by January their shelves will be free of children's products containing BPA.

More than 6 billion pounds of bisphenol are produced in the United States each year by Dow Chemical, BASF, Bayer and other manufacturers.