FDA Finally Barks About BPA - From A Cage

Sunny morning, still, with snow lingering on the trees.


The FDA has taken a long time to "comment" on BPA. They have delayed it 3 times, or was it 4, I've lost count. The FDA originally came out non-committal about BPA after using only bought and paid for "science" from the chemical industry. After the government's own agency in toxicology called for action against BPA and slamming the FDA, did the FDA go back "for a second look" at the plastic chemical the country of Canada labels as a "toxin".

And so we have been waiting, not holding our breath mind you, but waiting, even through each delay. But finally the announcement came last week - "The FDA Shifts Stance on BPA, Announces Some Concern". The FDA bravely came out of the dog house and barked to the world the possible dangers of BPA.

Yahoo! This was fantastic news. The FDA finally came to its senses. Maybe all that badgering and 3 years of intensive investigation by the detective duo out of Milwaukee paid off. The squeaky wheel got a few drops of oil and maybe now, now our government will do something about it. If the FDA has "concern" over a chemical, asks for more research, even tells people to avoid the chemical, especially in young children, then surely this is paving the way for possible regulation of this serious gender bender that is "everywhere".

Two days after this announcement, the FDA then came out about a little glitch, just a wee one. Just an itsy bitsy little detail that came to light. The FDA can not, not "will not", but can not regulate BPA. "But because BPA was classified years ago as an indirect food additive, it is not subject to the kind of scrutiny that other chemicals are. Without critical data about BPA, it is impossible to regulate the chemical, officials said."

Just 2 days after. Call me cynical, because this is way too coincidental in my mind, but is it possible that the FDA uncovered this little detail, or the little detail was brought to their attention, and they scrambled to make the announcement before the little detail was revealed? Oh to be a fly on the wall.

For 2 days we reveled, rejoicing that the FDA had stepped out from the money shadow of the chemical industry and announced to the world that here was enough concern over BPA to warrant further investigation but in the mean time, infants and children should avoid BPA. For 2 days we were comforted that our government is finally maybe watching out for our well being. For 2 days the FDA received some respect after a long, long hiatus.

But only for 2 days. How cruel.

How convenient for the FDA to make these announcements only to be followed by their inability to do anything about it. How convenient to jump up and down and holler at the top of your lungs with your hands tied behind your back. How convenient the watch dog came out to bark at the world only to be sitting from within its own locked cage.

BPA Lingers ...and Lingers and Lingers

Another snow storm, and it's a biggie.


Those sleuths out of Milwaukee are at it again. Susanne Rust continues to do her BPA homework and stay on the forefront of developing research. Now researchers (and these are the leaders in the USA) are finding that the half life of BPA in the body isn't what they thought it was. In fact, the levels of BPA actually don't disappear like previous studies showed. So either their previous equipment wasn't as good or sensitive, someone else did the testing, or we are being exposed to BPA beyond what the scientists are accounting for.

This is Susanne's usual excellent article. If you are new to the BPA scene, this is a great over view with the naysayers included. And BPA IS all around us. It is lined in every canned food (except a very minor few, more later) baby's formula cans and all,and I mean all, drinking cans, that includes organic vegetable juice too. What a waste.

Have you tried omitting all canned foods and all canned drinking containers? It ain't easy. If you want to see how precarious the canned food industry is, Organic Grace has also done some excellent sleuthing and has accumulated responses from the food industry. Trader's Joe at one point claimed to be BPA free but has since retracted the statement (see Organic Grace)

I have no idea what the delay in switching to BPA free canned is. Is it expensive? Do they not have a safe alternative? Have they committed to a contract they can't get out of? Do can suppliers have companies by the (@^!!$? Are they hoping this BPA stuff will go away? (not so long as Susanne Rust is around)

I know I, others and folks like Susanne are beating an almost dead BPA horse but we won't stop until things change for the safety of us all. Unfortunately the littlest ones are most vulnerable for many reasons but mostly shear lack of size, metabolism and stages of growing. Alarming research is coming out about BPA in infants and the consequences as such. Infant formula is suspect but so is the exposure during the hospital visit.

Yikes. The news about BPA isn't getting better folks. All the independent (that means not paid for by the chemical industry) research continues to whack us over the head to get us to notice. So take notice. BPA is a serious hormone disruptor. The Breast Cancer Fund does boldly connect BPA to breast cancer on their fact sheet. What more do you need to know?