FDA Will Not Regulate BPA
January 18, 2010
AllHeadlineNews.com
The Food and Drug Administration announced last week that it will not, for now, regulate a commonly-used chemical used to harden plastic used in many products, including baby bottles.
The agency said that there is concern that exposure to the chemical, BPA, or Bisphenol A, could cause a number of health problems, but more research is needed before it can be regulated.
In an overview released Jan. 15, the FDA said studies using standardized toxicity tests used globally for regulatory decision making support the theory that low level exposure to BPA is safe. But the agency indicated that regulation could come with more research.
This includes a $30-million from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
In the meantime, the FDA said in the overview that parents should continue feeding infants formula and other foods using baby bottles, even those containing BPA, “as the benefit of a stable source of good nutrition outweighs the potential risk of BPA exposure.”
