FDA responds to bisphenol A petition from NRDC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to respond by March 31 to a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to ban the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from food-contact materials. Shatter-resistant polycarbonate plastic and durable epoxy resins, both made from BPA, are approved by the FDA and commonly used in reusable containers and food packaging.

"We have and will continue to rely on the experts at FDA to evaluate the safety of BPA, and respond on the basis of all the available scientific data, including information referenced by NRDC. BPA is one of the most thoroughly tested chemicals used today and has a safety track record in food contact of over 40 years," said Steven G. Hentges, Ph.D., of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of ACC. "The consensus of government agencies across the world, based on the science, is that BPA is safe for use in food-contact materials."

In a recent study funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, researchers from three federal laboratories including FDA reconfirmed that it is very unlikely that BPA could cause human health effects due to the efficiency and speed by which the human body metabolizes and eliminates BPA. In December 2011, the European Food Safety Authority updated their scientific review and reaffirmed that BPA is safe for use in food-contact materials. Similarly, in September of 2011, a World Health Organization 30-person expert panel supported the continued use of BPA in products that come in contact with food. These, and numerous other studies, provide strong support for the safety of BPA and, conversely, provide no basis for any additional regulatory or legislative actions.