FDA: no BPA ban on cans and food packaging

Bisphenol A, also known as BPA will not be banned from cans and other food/drinks packagings, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday, saying that those who requested the ban had not provided enough compelling data. The most appropriate course of action, the Agency added, is for current studies to proceed, including some federally funded ones, and to review their findings at a later date. BPA, chemical formula (CH3) 2C(C6H4OH)2, is an organic compound. It is poorly soluble in water, but soluble in organic solvents. BPA was found to have slight hormone-like properties when ingested (animal studies). There is concern that BPA used in food packaging and cans of foods and drinks may be harmful to human health. A 2010 FDA report expressed concern about BPA exposure to young children, infants and fetuses. Canada declared BPA a toxic substance in 2010, the first nation to do so. The EU (European Union) and Canada have prohibited BPA use in baby bottles. Bisphenol A has been used for fifty years to extend the shelf life of canned foods and drinks. It is used in the resin lining of food and drinks cans. Even though US authorities have not banned BPA from baby bottles and cups, manufacturers have stopped using BPA-containing polycarbonates in such products, after intense pressure from consumer groups. Food and drinks companies have taken different attitudes towards the chemical. While the Coca-Cola Company says BPA is safe and will continue using the chemical in its beverage cans, Campbell Soup Company says it is phasing it out. In 2008, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) sent a petition to the FDA, requesting the banning of BPA in food and drinks packaging. Animal studies on BPA Animal studies have shown that BPA mimics estrogen, a female hormone. Exposure early in life to BPA is linked to: Pre-cancerous changes in the prostate gland Pre-cancerous changes in the mammary glands Brain development is altered, leading to early puberty onset, as well as some behavioral changes Lower sperm counts Enlarged prostate gland Chromosomal abnormalities in eggs Obesity and insulin resistance Nobody knows whether what has been found to occur in animals might also apply to humans.