took you long enough

Many WEEKS after its own advisory board accused the FDA of approving Bisphenol-A for use well before adequate testing was done, and without consideration of possible dangers, the agency has finally decided to reconsider the issue.

The FDA approved Bisphenol-A for use based on a TWO multigenerational studies by research groups that had received grant money from the American Plastics Council. Since the green light that BPA was supposedly safe for use in food packaging and water bottles, many independent studies have been issued in which the findings were not so positive.

In September, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that adults with high levels of BPA in their urine were more prone to heart and liver disease and diabetes.

More than 200 animal studies have linked ingesting minute amounts of the substance to a range of reproductive problems, brain damage, immune deficiencies, metabolic abnormalities, and behavioral oddities like hyperactivity, learning deficits and reduced maternal willingness to nurse offspring.

The FDA’s position was that this data lacked specifics as to how the study was overseen, and lacked raw data. However, it was noted by many that the FDA never requested to see extensive versions of the published articles.

Manufacturers of the plastics still contend, despite the data otherwise, that BPA is safe. Rather than pulling the BPA products from shelves, they have created BPA-free products to be marketed side by side. The manufacturers position is that they would like consumers to “make the best decisions for their families.” There is one issue with this: if consumers are unaware or being lied to about safety and efficacy, how can they make the best decisions?

And, so that you are unaware, BPA is not only found in plastic.

More than 2 billion pounds of BPA are produced each year. According to the Can Manufacturers Institute, more than 22 billion cans to be used for food and more than 100 billion cans for beer and soft drinks were produced last year. John Rost, a chemist and chair of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, says “the vast majority” of them are lined with a resin coating containing BPA.

A study by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has shown that BPA exists in 93% of urine in the sample population tested. Given that statistic, and the potential harm listed above, don’t you think it is time you stop using and buying products with potential BPA exposure?

If you are reading this, you have no excuse for not knowing about the harm done from this material.

The full report came from the NY Times, HERE.