Hold the BPA

Yesterday at a public hearing, the FDA defended the controversial chemical BPA, found in many common plastics, as “safe.” Health watchdogs are understandably very upset, as over 100 studies have linked BPA to negative health ramifications in animals. But there’s more! From the Washington Post:

The FDA maintains that BPA is safe largely on the basis of two studies funded by the chemical industry, a fact that was repeatedly cited at yesterday's forum.

"We're concerned that the FDA is basing its conclusion on two studies while downplaying the results of hundreds of other studies," said Amber Wise of the Union of Concerned Scientists. "This appears to be a case of cherry-picking data with potentially high cost to human health."

A potentially high cost is right. Especially considering the results of a new study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, highlighting the first human-BPA health links. From the Associated Press:

 Using a health survey of nearly 1,500 adults, the study found that those exposed to higher amounts of BPA were more likely to report having heart disease and diabetes. Because of the possible public health implications, the results "deserve scientific follow-up," its authors said.

There’s also evidence from the study correlating BPA and liver abnormalities.

Warning - Watch your BPA intake (plastic usage).

-- Dylan Blaylock