FDA to Finally Reconsider Safety of BPA

Last year, FDA disappointed us by insisting that there was no cause for concern about the presence of the chemical bisphenol A in food and beverage containers. An expert panel charged with evaluating the FDAâs draft assessment strongly criticized the agency for its severely limited exposure assessment and the criteria it used to assess BPA studies. Then, Suzanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (whoâve won multiple awards for their coverage of BPA and other chemicals) reported that FDAâs report âwas written largely by the plastics industry and others with a financial stake in the controversial chemical.â

Yesterday, the agency finally announced that itâs reviewing new studies about BPA and will let us know by the end of November whether itâs safe to use the chemical in food and beverage containers. Meg Kissinger has the story, and you can check out the Journal Sentinelâs âChemical Falloutâ series for more background.