Huge U.S. Study of Toxic Plastic Chemical BPA Launched

Bisphenol A (BPA), the controversial chemical used to make clear plastic infant bottles and sippy cups and linked to devastating injuries in children, will be the subject of a $30 million study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, officials said.

Numerous scientific studies have found BPA exposure is associated with developmental delays, cancers, and other injuries in developing children who are fed from plastic bottles containing the chemical. In recent years, many consumers rights groups have succeeding in getting bans on the use of BPA in the children’s products.

Some of the largest manufacturers of infant bottles have agreed to stop using BPA in their products and local governments from coast to coast have enacted their own laws limiting its use. However, some critics have accused the federal government of dragging its feet in determining the possible adverse effects of exposure to BPA.

BPA Linked to Cancers, Developmental Delays

When ingested into the body, BPA can mimic the hormone estrogen, causing early onset of puberty, breast cancer, diabetes, and various cancers in children exposed to high levels of the chemical, researchers say. The Food and Drug Administration has continually ruled that current guidelines for the use of BPA are sufficient and that the chemical is safe when used in accordance with existing regulations. Critics, however, have loudly claimed that BPA is toxic to children and encouraged the use of non-BPA products.

The new government study will examine the safety of BPA and could result in recommendations for further curbs on its use. Also, the FDA is expected to release the findings from its own ongoing study of BPA sometime in the next month, officials said.

“We know that many people are concerned about bisphenol A and we want to support the best science we can to provide the answers,” said Linda Birnbaum, director of the NIEHS, in a statement.

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