Bisphenol A declared safe by FSA

Source: Exec Digital UK

Date :8/18/2008 11:21:10 AM

Bisphenol A, otherwise known as BPA, has been declared safe by the Food Safety Authority (FSA), although some researches have found that the chemical mimics estrogen in studies conducted on rats.

The draft FDA report claims that, at what it describes as typical exposure levels, BPA is safe for use in plastic containers and tin can linings.

The product, used in plastics including water bottles, baby feeding bottles and a range of epoxy resins is thought to affect development of breast tissue, the prostate gland and even result in accelerated puberty in females.

Concerns over the chemical were raised in April by US Government scientists working in the National Toxicology Program (NTP). Since then retailers, including Wal-Mart, have avoided using plastics containing BPA in baby feeding bottles amid public concerns.

Despite the FDA’s findings that BPA is safe and doesn’t recommend banning the substance, regional governments such as those in California are deciding whether or not to ban products that had any more than ‘trace’ levels in products meant for use by children under three years old.

The findings of the FDA reflect those made by Europe’s Food Safety Authority (EFSA) who, in tests made in July this year, found that the chemicals passed through the bodies of people much more quickly than rodents and therefore posed no risk to human development.

This statement comes despite the fact that research done by other scientific groups has found that, in study groups, up to 93 percent of Americans tested had detectable levels of BPA in their urine.