Might be time to people-proof plastics
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Doug Krizner: A key ingredient in plastic gets a government review today. A federal panel will determine if new safety standards are necessary, but many scientists accuse the panel of favoring research funded by the chemical industry. Sam Eaton reports.
Sam Eaton: Bisphenol A, or BPA, is used to create lightweight, durable plastics and resins for everything from baby bottles to the linings of soup cans.
A new study released last week suggests that exposure to the chemical could cause human reproduction and development problems.
But don’t expect a government ban.
The study’s author, Fred vom Saal says that’s because federal regulators meeting this week are basing U.S. safety standards on biased research. He says the research was compiled by a government contractor with ties to the chemical industry.
Fred vom Saal: It means that all of the reports they were involved with have to be revisited and all of the issues that they were involved in need to be looked at again for bias and accuracy.
The American Chemistry Council says that’s unnecessary since most scientific studies find BPA plastics to be safe. The trade group claims that even though 95 percent of Americans have the chemical in their bloodstream, the levels are generally harmless.
I’m Sam Eaton for Marketplace.
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