The FDA Says BPA Is Safe
By Isaac Fletcher, contributing writer, Food Online
Despite ongoing concerns over the effects of BPA, the most-recent statement from the FDA reaffirms the agency’s stance that the chemical is safe for use in its current food-related applications
Food applications of BPA have generated consumer concerns due to the more than 800 academic studies that have claimed BPA could harm human reproduction and development. In an announcement made on December 5, the FDA has stated that Bisphenol A (BPA) is safe at the current levels found in foods. This conclusion has been drawn based on the information provided from a four-year review of over 300 scientific studies. In some of these studies, FDA toxicologists gave pregnant rats 100 to 1,000 times more BPA than what humans currently ingest in their foods. The results revealed that the amount of the chemical that is passed to unborn offspring is so low that it could not be measured.
Furthermore, more than 99 percent of ingested BPA is rapidly metabolized into an inactive form that is not harmful. According to the FDA, “The available information continues to support the safety of BPA for the currently approved uses in food containers and packaging.”
For can and canned food manufacturers, the FDA announcement comes and good news that may put any concerns over the safety of BPA in canned goods to rest. Although there have been numerous official statements over BPA’s safety, the FDA’s most-recent report is backed with scientific data and analysis, adding an extra level of validity to the safety claims. Steven Hentges, manager of the American Chemistry Council’s Polycarbonate, BPA Global Group, says, “This newly-released documentation further builds out the science story and supports and substantiates the FDA’s assessment that BPA is safe.”
The FDA plans to continue its research of BPA by assessing new, scientific literature and working side by side with academic institutions that are evaluating the chemical. As part of this continued research, the FDA is conducting a long-term, rodent toxicity study that has been designed with the help of the National Toxicology Program. Within this chronic study, the FDA will assess a variety of endpoints, including those which are not regularly investigated, but may be linked to harmful effects.
The FDA is also providing animals and tissues to a consortium of grantees funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to help address some of these critical questions.