Chemical in Infant Formula Cans Sparks Concern

Dec. 10, 2007 — -- It's a chemical that has never been proven to cause health problems in humans in low doses. And it's one that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said is safe.

But an announcement last Wednesday by a research and advocacy group that the chemical Bisphenol-A was found in the inner lining of infant formula cans has a number of public health experts worried that babies consuming the formula could experience long-term developmental effects.

Bisphenol-A, or BPA for short, is a chemical mostly used in the production of certain types of plastics and resins used to coat metal. Because the chemical is so widely used, about 93 percent of people in the United States show signs of exposure to it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

No human study has ever shown that this level of exposure causes harm. But the Environmental Working Group raised a red flag Monday with a report that the chemical was found in the inner linings of infant formula cans — possibly increasing babies' BPA exposure.

Some public health experts stopped short of labeling the chemical a definite threat — though they noted the matter still warrants investigation.

"While no one knows for sure, the better science right now is on the side of concern, rather than reassurance," said Dr. Alan Ducatman, chair of community medicine at the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown.

But some are more adamant in their concerns.

"Those of us who do research on brain and behavioral development believe the public needs to be concerned," said Dr. Bernard Weiss, professor in the department of environmental medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Part of the problem, Weiss said, is that the FDA is "behind current science and relies on old criteria." The approaches currently used are not adequate to determine whether a real threat exists, he says.

Frederick vom Saal, curators' professor at the University of Missouri Division of Biological Sciences in Columbia, agreed.