Health Agencies Express Concern Over BPA

Jan. 16 -- FRIDAY, Jan. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other U.S. health agencies are pledging $30 million toward short- and long-term research aimed at clarifying the health effects of the plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA).

The chemical is ubiquitous in plastic products, including baby bottles and sippy cups, as well as metal linings of some cans, including those containing infant formula. And it has come under close scrutiny in the past year or two with studies linking it to a host of health and developmental problems.

"Recent reports show subtle effects of low doses of BPA in laboratory animals and that has raised concerns so we now are taking a much closer look at BPA," said Bill Corr, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the umbrella organization for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other agencies. "We need more research to understand the potential effects on children," he said.

Corr and other officials spoke at a Friday afternoon news conference.

The FDA stopped short of stating that it was raising its level of concern about the chemical.

"BPA has not been proven to harm either children or adults," Corr said. "But the data deserves a much closer look because children are being exposed at early states of development."

"In a word, FDA does support the use of bottles with BPA because the benefit of nutrition outweighs the potential of risk of BPA," said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner of the FDA. "If we thought it was unsafe, we would be taking strong regulatory action."

Sharfstein added that 90 percent of baby bottles manufactured for the U.S. market no longer contain BPA.

In studies released over the past two years, BPA has been linked to heart disease, sexual dysfunction, cancer, diabetes and hyperactivity, as well as aggression in girls. There is also concern that it could have an effect on the developing fetus.