“Are Concerns About BPA Overblown?” By Chris Kresser.
By now I’m sure most of you have heard claims that bisphenol A (BPA) is a harmful chemical that should be avoided as much as possible. Perhaps you even read that on this blog. Researchers, clinicians, environmental groups and the media have all sounded the alarm on BPA, pointing to a large body of animal evidence which suggests that it has estrogenic effects (i.e. increases estrogen activity) which in turn cause numerous health problems, ranging from obesity to infertility. But recent evidence in humans (and animals) has led me to reconsider my original position on BPA. Read the full article on Chris Kresser’s blog.

“Let’s Preserve our Sanity when it Comes to Canned Food” by Joe Schwarcz.
It may not be quite on a par with the Manhattan Project or with the challenge of beating the Soviets to the moon, but the race to find a substitute for the lacquer used to line food cans is heating up. The canning industry is frantically trying to find a replacement for the epoxy resin currently being used because of concerns that bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that has been vilified as an “endocrine disruptor,” might be leaching into the contents. BPA is combined with other components to form a polymer that keeps the metal from reacting with the food. Once the BPA has been incorporated into the polymer, it no longer has any hormonal effects. But there are always traces of unreacted BPA left over that can indeed leach out. Read the full article in the Montreal Gazette.

“Leading Environmental Group Scientist Praises FDA’s Ground-Breaking Research On BPA: A Tipping Point In The Controversy?” by Trevor Butterworth.
A trio of scientists from the Food and Drug Administration trooped up to the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Boston in February to talk about the work the agency has been doing in conjunction with the National Toxicology Program on bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in a huge range of applications from food safety linings to cash register receipts and medical equipment. The FDA scientists were ready to be attacked: while regulatory agencies around the world keep insisting that the evidence does not show a risk to humans, environmental activists – backed by a handful of academic scientists – claim there is; and the debate has been intense and often unedifying. Read the full article on Forbes.com.

“The Spin Does not Stop Here,” by Paul Alexander
Both the right and the left complain about media bias, when news organizations favor one political ideology over another. But can pure science be subjected to media bias? These days, a debate is raging that could have a profound effect on business, especially food production manufacturing. It centers on a chemical named Bisphenol A, or BPA. Read the full article on the Daily Caller.

“Experts Criticise Study Linking Chemical BPA with Baby Brain Problems,” by Sunanda Creagh.
A new study that found the common plastic ingredient bisphenol A (BPA) may harm a baby’s brain development in-utero has been described as ‘misleading’ and ‘not relevant’ by Australian experts. Read the full article on The Conversation.

“Anti BPA Crusade Discrediting Science And Environmental Health, Says Leading, Independent Expert,” By Trevor Butterworth.
Professor Richard Sharpe is a leading expert on male reproductive health, directing a research team at the UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The MRC, which is celebrating its centenary this year, is one of the world’s oldest medical research institutes, publicly funded and wholly independent of government. Among the discoveries by scientists working under its aegis are penicillin and the structure of DNA. Sharpe’s focus on reproductive problems has put him at the forefront of research into phthalates, a family of chemicals that make plastic flexible, and, more generally, endocrinology, endocrine disruption (how trace exposures to environmental chemicals may adversely effect hormonal function), and the impact of lifestyle effects (such as diet) and other health issues (such as obesity). Read the full article on Forbes.com.

“Bisphenol A Exposure in Humans May Be Too Low to Cause Problems by Mimicking Estrogen,” by Science Daily.
Feb. 15, 2013 — A controversial component of plastic bottles and canned food linings that have helped make the world’s food supply safer has recently come under attack: bisphenol A. Widely known as BPA, it has the potential to mimic the sex hormone estrogen if blood and tissue levels are high enough. Now, an analysis of almost 150 BPA exposure studies shows that in the general population, people’s exposure may be many times too low for BPA to effectively mimic estrogen in the human body. Read the full story on Science Daily.

“Dr. Oz Promotes False BPA Claims, Sarah Bowman.”
I’m a mom, so I watch Dr. Oz, like many mothers do. As a concerned consumer, I always want what’s best for my boys. When I saw Dr. Oz promoting a segment on Wednesday titled, “The Chemicals You’re Feeding to Your Kids,” of course I tuned in. Dr. Oz had an “expert” from the Environmental Working Group on his show. She cited a Harvard study where the test subjects ate one can of soup per day, which “increased their BPA output by 1,000 percent.” She also claimed that BPA was found in umbilical cords and that the chemical “leads to higher obesity, lower birth rate and lower test scores for children.” Read the full article on Yahoo! Voices.

“In Reversal, Bedrock Studies Linking Bisphenol A (BPA) to Heart Disease Challenged,” by Jon Entine.
Studies supposedly linking the plastic additive to diabetes, heart disease and coronary artery disease have been called a “bombshell” by anti-BPA NGOs and many journalists. Now those conclusions, and a central contention of campaigners, is in doubt. The most explosive claim of anti-BPA campaigners—that the plastic additive BPA causes an array of heart-related diseases—is in question, according to a peer reviewed paper on the science website PLOS One. Read the full article on Forbes.com.