FDA Not Ready To Ban BPA in Children's Products

According to an article in Reuters by Will Dunham, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it sees no reason to tell consumers to stop using products such as baby bottles made with a controversial chemical found in many plastic items.

WHAT IS BPA?
BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastic, a clear shatter-resistant material in products ranging from baby and water bottles to sports safety equipment and medical devices.
It also is used to make durable epoxy resins used as the coating in most food and beverage cans and in dental fillings.

WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT BPA?
People can consume BPA when it leaches out of plastic into liquid such as baby formula, water or food inside a container.
The FDA is looking at a draft report issued in April by the National Toxicology Program, part of the U.S. government's National Institutes of Health, that expressed some concern that BPA had the potential to cause neural and behavioral problems in fetuses, infants and children.
Relying on animal studies, the National Toxicology Program said there was evidence suggesting links between BPA exposure and early puberty and prostate and breast cancer in people, becoming the first federal agency to embrace such concerns.

WHAT IS THE GOVERNEMENT DOING ABOUT BPA?
Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate commissioner for science, said although the regulatory agency is reviewing safety concerns about the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, "a large body of available evidence" shows that products such as liquid or food containers made with it are safe.
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said the FDA was "looking the other way" on safety concerns about BPA. "Parents always err on the side of caution when it comes to their kids' health. We think that the law should do the same," he added.
Schumer, Kerry and other Democratic senators in April introduced a bill to ban BPA in children's products. It also would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study health effects of BPA in children and adults.

WHAT ARE RETAILERS DOING ABOUT BPA?
Some retailers, including Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, are planning to stop selling certain items made with BPA.