Recent controversy has been brewing regarding the use of the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) in consumer products ranging from water bottles to the lining in cans. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has created a task force to further investigate the possible health effects of BPA, but has released a draft assessment stating that it currently considers it safe. Some consider the conclusions in this draft assessment to be in discordance with a report recently released by the National Toxicology Program and an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Congress is also interested in the safety and use of BPA. Senate Bill 2928 was introduced as the "BPA-Free Kids Act of 2008" in April. Both the House and the Senate have held recent hearings regarding BPA. While these hearings have not yet been published, audio webcasts and printed testimonies are available. The hearing on "Safety of Phthalates and Bisphenol-A in Everyday Consumer Products" was held before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection on June 10, 2008. The hearing on "Plastic Additives in Consumer Products" was held before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety on May 14, 2008. Also, the Congressional Research Service released the report "Bisphenol A (BPA) in Plastics and Possible Human Health Effects" in May.
Questions about the safety and use of BPA are not necessarily a recent development. Check out the "Informational hearing on the health effects of phthalates and bisphenol-A on children" held before the California Assembly Committee on Health back in 2006.
You might also want to review this BPA fact sheet from the CDC. And if you're interested in what other countries are doing about BPA, take a look at this page from the Government of Canada.
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The House Committee on Energy and Commerce issued a statement critical of the FDA at http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110nr375.shtml. This committee asked the Science Board at the FDA to analyze the decision to classify BPA as safe. The Science board found that the FDA did not conduct an adequate study and has asked the FDA to reevaluate their findings.
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