The FDA is finally catching up with the rest of us. The FDA issued a warning to parents to limit the exposure of BPA in infants and children citing “some concern” about BPA’s effects. I see a lot of mixed signals with the FDA’s recent statement and it’s mostly due to the fact that BPA is found in so many products aside from baby products (canned food, soda, foil seals, jar lids) that they don’t want to make grand statements. They’re back-pedaling (2 years ago they announced BPA was perfectly safe) and planting a seed of doubt in parents minds while they conduct further investigations. (Can you tell I’m annoyed?)
This CNN article says it in a nutshell better than I can:
The new position is a partial reversal of the FDA’s declaration in 2008 that BPA has no adverse effects. That announcement came under fire from environmental groups that said it relied too heavily on industry-funded research.
Since then, the agency says on its Web site, “recent studies have reported subtle effects of low doses of BPA in laboratory animals. While BPA is not proven to harm children or adults, these newer studies have led federal health officials to express some concern about the safety of BPA.”
The new position brings the FDA into line with guidance from the National Toxicology Program, which in its own 2008 report said there is “some concern” for BPA’s effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland, in developing fetuses, infants and children. Other studies have found a possible link to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but the authors of those studies say it’s not clear the problems were actually caused by BPA.
It’s about time FDA! They are always too slow on the ball, for sure.
Nell