FDA Says BPA is Safe for Approved Uses in Food Containers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Dec. 5 that the current level of bisphenol A (BPA) found in foods is safe. This announcement is based on a four-year review of more than 300 scientific studies, according to an article by Bloomberg BNA.

During the studies, FDA toxicologists gave pregnant rats 100 to 1,000 times more bisphenol A than that found in people’s food. They found that the amount of BPA that was passed to the offspring was so low that it could not be measured. More than 99 percent of the BPA that was ingested was quickly metabolized into a non-harmful and inactive form.

This report puts to rest a number of concerns about using BPA in food packaging and canned foods.

BPA is commonly used in industrial, consumer and medical devices such as automobile parts and sporting equipment, as well as protective linings inside of some metal-based food and beverage cans and water cooler jugs.

The FDA will continue to study BPA, however, by working with academic institutions that are evaluating it and analyzing new scientific findings. The FDA is planning to a long-term rodent toxicity study to evaluate possible harmful effects not usually investigated by regulatory toxicity tests.

These future tests are in addition to existing studies involving cashiers who can be exposed to BPA.

For more information, visit www.fda.gov.