Last updated on August 19th, 2022 at 11:12 pm
This week the FDA ruled against banning BPA in food packaging products because for them, there was not enough evidence to deem it unsafe. Of course, I was disappointed and I think they missed an opportunity to do the right thing. That’s obvious. But my biggest fear is that people will take their word for it and continue to support the companies that use it. Let it be known, that the FDA operates on evidence but also on politics. There is money involved, there are grants given to FDA scientists by organizations that make their money on BPA. So this isn’t just a bunch of caring scientists sitting around looking out for our best interests. Which is sad, because its what we need.
I’ve said it before… I don’t know how much evidence the FDA needs to make this ban. Prestigious university studies have reveal an abundance of evidence to pick from. From heart disease, diabetes, brain issues, growth problems, reproductive problems, and interference in chemotherapy just to start. It’s in black and white in these studies. But it’s still not enough for them which is where our disappointment stems from. The evidence has already been mounted and it’s more than enough to make me want to avoid it:
- University of Rochester Medical Center’s Environmental Health Sciences Center (BPA stays in the body longer than once thought and the volume of exposure is higher now than before)
- Yale School of Medicine: Found that BPA affected brain function and caused mood disorders in monkeys (perhaps someone should tell Yale that they don’t count as scientists)
- University of Cinncinati: Found that BPA disrupts cancer treatments
- Journal of American Medicine: Doctors in London published their findings that linked BPA to heart disease and diabetes. (“…found that the 25% of people with the highest levels of bisphenol A in their bodies were more than twice as likely to have heart disease and, or diabetes)
- University of Cinncinati: Found links to BPA and Metabolic Syndromes (which if untreated can lead to coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.)
- Yale School of Medicine: Found that BPA impairs brain function. After extended BPA exposure, primates had lost nerve cell connections in the parts of the brain that control memory, learning and mood.
- North Carolina State University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Found that exposure to BPA at levels the EPA has determined are safe resulted in early onset of puberty, which is a known risk factor for breast cancer and other mental and physical health problems. Data also show higher levels of exposure to BPA can lead to significant ovarian malformations, including cysts that likely indicate infertility.
- University of Cinncinati: BPA caused abnormal heart rhythms in female mice and rats in the lab setting.
- North Carolina State University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: Discovered a connection between exposure to BPA and early puberty and reproductive health problems with female lab rats who were given doses of the chemical “equivalent to or below the dose that has been thought not to produce any adverse effects. (Biology of Reproduction)
- FDA Issues warning about BPA exposure in babies
Lori of Groovy Green Livin said it best on the news segment she was featured in on ABC, “It’s not fair!” and she’s right. It isn’t fair that moms have to have a degree in plastics to shop for safe food. Since I began SafeMama.com in 2007, BPA has been in the forefront of my fight for safe products. BPA might be out of a majority of our baby bottles and cups, but it is still very much around us and it’s in our bodies as we speak.
It’s also in:
- Most metal canned food and soda (epoxy lining inside the can). Muir Glen and Eden Foods are transitioning to an alternative but that’s just 2 of 1000’s of brands.
- Paper receipts from stores & money
- Lids of jars
- Dental Filings and Medical Devices
Bottom line is: We have more control than we think. Since the FDA will not get on our side in this matter, we have to do this on our own until we get what we want. It just means we have to control the issue where it hurts – their wallets. I have been can -free for almost 2 years…. the companies that continue to use BPA in their packaging will not get my money until they start listening to the science we all know about. These companies know we have this power… they’ve been running scared of it for a long time.
