With scientist at odds about the risks of a chemical found in plastic baby bottles, metal cans and other food packaging, the government on Tuesday gave consumers some tips on how to reduce their exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA) even as it said the substance is safe.
A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee met as a major study linked Bisphenol A to possible risks of heart disease and diabetes. The scientific debate could drag on for years.
“Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it’s safe, so we’re not recommending any changes in habits,” said Laura Tarantino, head of the FDA’s office of food additive safety. But she acknowledged, “There are a number of things people can do to lower their exposure.”
For example, consumers can avoid plastic containers imprinted with recycling number “7,” as many of those contain BPA or, Tarantino said, they can avoid warming food in such containers, as heat helps to release the chemical.
More than 90 percent of Americans have traces of BPA in their bodies, but the FDA says the levels of exposure are too low to pose a health risk, even at very low levels.
And Tuesday, a study released by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested a new concern about BPA. Using a health survey 1,500 adults, the study found that those exposed to higher amounts of BPA were more likely to report having heart disease and diabetes. Because of the possible public health implications, the results “deserve scientific follow-ups,” its author said.
The study is preliminary, far from proof that the chemical caused the health problems. Two Dartmouth college analysts of medical research said it raises questions but provides no answers about whether the ubiquitous chemical is harmful.
FDA officials said they are not dismissing such findings. “We recognize the need to resolve the concerning questions that have been raised,” said tarantino, acknowledging that more research is needed.
