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Friday, June 13, 2008

FDA Would Regulate BPA If Found Harmful, Official Says

On Tuesday, a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee held a hearing titled, "Safety of Phthalates and Bisphenol-A in Everyday Consumer Products." Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates, both of which are common ingredients in plastic products, have come under fire recently for their potential risk to human health.

FDA's Associate Commissioner for Science, Norris Alderson, testified, saying, "A largebody of available evidence indicates that food contact materials containing BPA currently on the market are safe, and that exposure levels to BPA from these materials, including exposure to infants and children, are below those that may cause health effects."

That's been the standard response from the agency as public concern about BPA rises. However, FDA is renewing its research on the chemical, as Reg•Watch blogged earlier this week.

Late last week, FDA's lead scientist asked the agency's science board to convene a subcommittee to study the effects of BPA. The primary responsibility of the subcommittee will be to review an FDA task force report on BPA exposure and effects. "In April 2008, the FDA formed an agency-wide BPA Task Force to facilitate review of current research and new information on BPA," FDA says. After the subcommittee reviews the report this summer, "the task force will make recommendations" to the FDA commissioner.

During the hearing, Alderson, the chair of the task force, acknowledged the research could lead to regulatory action, saying, "[I]f FDA's review of data leads us to a determination that uses of BPA are not safe, the Agency will take action to protect the public health."

Because BPA is a common ingredient in the lining of metal food cans, the chemical would be ripe for FDA regulation if found to be harmful.

If FDA takes no action on BPA, Congress might. Committee member Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) has introduced legislation that would ban BPA in food and drink containers. Because the prospects of bill's passage in the U.S. Congress are positively correlated with the cleverness of its acronym, Markey has named the bill the Ban Poisonous Additives (BPA) Act (H.R. 6228).