BPA News

A long-awaited U.S. government study of the health effects of bisphenol A, a key building block of polycarbonate, seems to be giving the controversial chemical a clean bill of health in food packaging.

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been the subject of global controversy in recent years, with some jurisdictions restricting its use in children’s products and baby bottles due to concerns about potential exposure risks. FDA’s longstanding position on BPA is that BPA is safe at the current levels occurring in foods. On February 23, 2018, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) released for public comment a pre-peer review draft report on the findings of a comprehensive two-year rodent study examining the potential effects of BPA on health. The study – conducted by senior scientists at the FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) – is part of a collaborative effort called the Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity (CLARITY-BPA).  CLARITY-BPA had two components: the core study conducted at NCTR according to FDA Good Laboratory Practice regulations and CLARITY-BPA academic studies of various health endpoints, conducted by grantees at academic institutions and using offspring of rodents derived from the core study…Dr. Stephen Ostroff, Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at FDA, issued a statement highlighting the fact that the draft report points towards “minimal effects” and supports FDA’s longstanding position that BPA, at current levels occurring in food is safe.