Photograph: © SAF
Excerpts;
The Food and Drug Administration said today it would allow bisphenol A (BPA) to remain in food packaging, an action that keeps the hormone-disrupting chemical linked to cancer, obesity and a host of other health problems in the food supply.
“The agency has failed to protect our health and safety, in the face of scientific studies that continue to raise disturbing questions about the long-term effects of BPA exposures. The FDA is out-of-step with scientific and medical research…”
FDA decides not to ban BPA in food packaging
First made more than a century ago, BPA is used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic for shatter-resistant food containers, sports safety equipment, eyewear and other products. It is used in epoxy resin as a protective coating for food and beverage packaging to prevent it from reacting with the contents. And it is present on many types of sales receipts, from which it rubs onto people’s hands. Residual BPA can migrate from containers into food, and the FDA agreed with the defense council “that most infants, children and adults are exposed to low levels of BPA through the diet.”
