"Exposure To BPA – It’s Not What Some People Think," By Steve Hentges. Both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have recently released assessments that strongly support the safety of bisphenol A (BPA). In both cases, a body of studies documenting 1) low exposure, primarily from the diet; 2) efficient metabolism as BPA is absorbed in the gut; and 3) rapid elimination from the body provide key support for the safety conclusions. In contrast, a … [Read more...]

"A Taxpayer-Funded Family Feud," By Tom Schatz. It is bad enough when an agency spends taxpayer money foolishly, but it is even worse when those expenditures end up undermining the conclusions of another agency. Between 2000 and 2014, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sent $172.7 million in grant money to scientists to study the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) and its effect on humans, particularly as an endocrine … [Read more...]

"The BPA Paradox – Too Many Studies?" By Steve Hentges. For many years, scientists around the world have been intensely interested in bisphenol A (BPA), a common chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. But what have we learned from the supersized investment in research on this one chemical, and what can we expect in the future? Recent articles suggest that we haven’t learned as much as might be expected from such a large investment, but more research on BPA is probably in … [Read more...]

"The Alternative Universe In Which BPA Is A Major Health Threat," By Geoffrey Kabat. With an estimated 40 percent of Americans, according to a Harvard poll, worried that they could contract Ebola, two days ago the journal PLoS ONE published a paper which claims to show that handling of cash register receipts puts you a risk of myriad diseases. The paper is from a group at the University of Missouri headed by Frederick vom Saal, a biologist who has the distinction of being the driving force … [Read more...]

"BPA in the Media – Let’s Read Between the Lines Before Drawing Conclusions," by BPA Coalition. This fall, writing about science has been the new black. However, communicating science to non-scientists is more difficult than one may think. Keeping the meaning intact while getting rid of the jargon often proves a daunting exercise. And unfortunately, readers, unless scientists themselves, often cannot make the difference between an informed and an uninformed piece. This why we compiled an … [Read more...]

"Bogus Anti-BPA Research," by By Erik Telford. Based on reading trend articles and the little stickers affixed to Nalgene water bottles, one might readily conclude that BPA, the common acronym for bisphenol A, is the contemporary danger to public health that lead was half a century ago. BPA is a chemical used in the manufacture of many hard plastics and epoxy resins. When used in food packaging and containers, it helps to prevent spoilage, increases shelf life, and makes containers reusable. … [Read more...]

"Million Here, Million There for BPA: Politicized Research Marches On," by BiomonitoringInfo.org. An article in The Hill’s Congress Blog confirms what many of us who have been following the scientific literature have observed: Research spending on bisphenol A (BPA), including biomonitoring studies, has increased dramatically in recent years. BPA research frequently claims health effects from chemical exposure. As Mattie Duppler writes in “Millions for ‘pointless’ research” on Congress Blog, … [Read more...]

"Trust Robust Science, Don’t Blame BPA", By BPA Coalition. The exposure of a fraud who stoked BPA fears to advance his career should remind us all to trust robust science from authoritative sources. On September 10, NBC News in the United States revealed that Anoop Shankar, a researcher at West Virginia University, had fabricated his qualifications to obtain his position and also allegedly altered his research findings. This is of particular interest for the BPA Coalition because several of his … [Read more...]

"The Raging Controversy Over BPA Shows No Signs Of Abating," by Geoffrey Kabat (STATS). But that doesn’t mean that the two opposing sides have equal merit. In her “Poison Pen” blog in last week’s New York Times, the science writer Deborah Blum calls attention to new research that raises alarming questions about adverse effects on the female reproductive organs from exposure to BPA (bisphenol-A). Her article is titled, “In Plastics and Cans, a Threat to Women.” Blum described work by Jodi Flaws, … [Read more...]

"Dutch Public Health Institute ‘State of Knowledge’ on BPA: Not a Risk," By BPA Coalition. The news about bisphenol-A (BPA) continues. Last week, the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) issued Part 1 of its investigation into BPA. RIVM’s report did not evaluate or cite specific studies but summarizes conclusions from earlier evaluations. Part 1 “gives an overview of the state of knowledge about BPA”. The institute’s appraisal of the available information … [Read more...]

"Meet BPA-Free, The New BPA," By Steve Hentges. There’s an emerging trend, of late, in the seemingly endless saga of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which is most commonly used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Although the BPA saga has not yet become completely passé, much of the attention that had been given to BPA is now focused on alternatives to BPA. Indeed, it seems that BPA-Free is becoming the new BPA. For what seemed an eternity, BPA had been at the center of a perfect … [Read more...]

"Are You Exposed To BPA, And Does It Matter?" By Steve Hentges. For quite a few years, one of the most popular chemicals for scientific inquiry has been bisphenol A (BPA). Scientists around the world have been conducting a diverse array of studies aimed at understanding whether BPA poses a risk to human health. Based on the weight of evidence from these many studies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently answered the question “Is BPA safe?” with a simple and unambiguous answer - … [Read more...]

"BPA A Concern For Breast Cancer? Not According To Study By Leading Environmental Group," by Trevor Butterworth, Stats.org. A massive synthesis of data from the National Toxicology Program and consensus reports from international cancer authorities has identified 102 chemicals as critical for breast cancer research and prevention. The list, compiled by researchers from the Silent Spring Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health, is derived from studies of chemical exposures and mammary … [Read more...]

"FDA: No Low-Dose Chemical Dangers," by Dennis Avery. The Food and Drug Administration has just loudly re-endorsed perhaps the oldest truth in science—that the dose makes the poison. Paracelsus, the father of toxicology, told us 500 years ago, “All substances are poison. There is none which is not a poison. The right dose makes the difference between a poison and a remedy.” Even sunlight and water are poisons at high doses. The FDA has just commented on a new study which found no health impact … [Read more...]

"Left Wants EPA To Ban Chemical FDA Says Isn't Harmful," By Merrill Mathews. President Ronald Reagan famously asserted, "The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program." He might have added that the second nearest thing is a completely discredited left-wing cause. Exhibit A: Since the left can't convince the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to outlaw the chemical BPA, it wants the Environmental Protection Agency to take over. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is … [Read more...]

"Canadian Government Study: Death From Overeating Before Any Risk From BPA," By Trevor Butterworth, STATS.org. The Canadian government, which helped to trigger worldwide fears about the effects of trace amounts of BPA in food by using the precautionary principle to guide risk management, continues to produce studies showing that precautionary thinking is wildly off the mark on BPA. The latest study on BPA sampled 403 domestic and imported cans containing fruit, vegetables, juices, other … [Read more...]

"BPA: The Scientists, The Scare, The 100-Million Dollar Surge," by Trevor Butterworth. Conspiracy, incompetence, a federal agency out of control. A recent Mother Jones story by Mariah Blake indicts the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a threat to science and public health over the way it’s conducting research into bisphenol A (BPA), the never-ending chemical scare story of the 21st century. Raise the alarm (again), stir the pot (again), marshal outrage (again). And, if you have no other … [Read more...]

"BPA Is A-OK, Says FDA," by Henry I. Miller. Many non-scientists are increasingly confused and dismayed by the constantly changing advice that comes from medical, nutritional and other researchers. Some of that confusion is due to the quality of the evidence, which is dependent on a number of factors, while some is due to the very nature of science: We form hypotheses and then perform experiments to test them. As the data accumulate and various hypotheses are rejected, we become more confident … [Read more...]

"The FDA On BPA Safety," By Steve Hentges. In June 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) answered the question “Is BPA safe?” with a simple and unambiguous answer – “Yes.” In contrast, countless words have been written over many years suggesting exactly the opposite.  To get to that straightforward answer, FDA initiated an in-depth research and testing program on bisphenol A (BPA) about five years ago.  Although there is more to come, the 15 studies published so far, most recently … [Read more...]

"Maybe BPA Isn't So Bad After All," by Jon Hamilton. The plastic additive has been by environmental advocacy groups. But the chemical had no effect on rats fed thousands of times the amount a typical person ingests, government scientists are in the journal Toxicological Sciences. The results "both support and extend the conclusion from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that BPA is safe as currently used," says , a research chemist with the FDA's. Scientists agree that in large doses, BPA … [Read more...]

"If You Are Scared Of BPA, JAMA Will Make You Happy," By Hank Campbell. Human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) has recently been linked to negative health claims, like a decline in reproductive function in adults and stunted neurodevelopment in children, and so people consumed with the 'natural' fallacy have been up in arms about it. It hasn't quite become 'BPA causes autism' hysteria, like they did with vaccines, but it is getting close. Naturally, companies have listened to the nocebo worries of … [Read more...]