FDA Criticized over BPA Assessment

An advisory board to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that the agency ignored evidence that suggested bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and formula cans could be damaging to children.

BPA is a chemical used in certain packaging materials such as polycarbonates for water bottles, drinks and baby food bottles. It is also used in epoxy resins for internal protective linings for canned goods and metal lids.

Concerns have arisen over the chemical since it has been found to migrate in small amounts into foods and beverages stored in the materials and some recent animal studies have indicated that high levels of BPA could be carcinogenic.

The full Science Board, which is made up of independent experts and advises the FDA commissioner on scientific and technical matters, voted unanimously last Friday to approve the recommendations made earlier in the week by its BPA subcommittee.

The subcommittee concluded that the margins of safety in the FDA draft assessment on BPA in regard to the risks of infant exposure to the chemical were “inadequate.”

The FDA’s assessments of the food packaging component had “important limitations,” said the report.

The assessment procedure “…lacks an adequate number of infant formula samples and relies on mean values rather than accounting for the variability in samples,” it said. Also, the assessment would be strengthened by considering the effects of cumulative exposures and differential risks in infants.

Source: FoodProductionDaily.com