Before 2008, most government documents on BPA stated that humans are not exposed to BPA in amounts that cause adverse health effects. Currently, government agencies worldwide are still telling the public not to be concerned; however, government actions suggest there is cause for concern. Since 2009 and 2010, governments in many countries have taken actions to limit exposure to Bisphenol-A. The most regulation has been seen with banning the use of BPA in baby products such as pacifiers and baby bottles. Before 2008, most governments felt that no action should be taken concerning BPA; however, most have started to take action. Studies performed by scientists in non-government institutions have concluded that health effects of BPA should be of concern. Before 2008, the government only relied on their own studies which did not agree with other scientific studies. Now, some governments are changing their mind regarding BPA.
After thinking about this for some time, I have realized that most studies only compare one source of BPA exposure(e.g. baby bottles) to the total exposure limit. However, exposure does not come from one source. In fact, BPA is everywhere from cutting boards, silverware, cups, food storage containers, cans, water bottles, pacifiers, medical instruments/utensils, plastic bags/sandwich bags, and pizza boxes only to name a few. It is not accurate to look at BPA exposure from plastic bottles, compare it to the exposure limit, and declare that exposure to BPA is safe. The fact is that people will be exposed to different levels of BPA given their specific environment. Blood tests show that most of the population is exposed to levels over the exposure limit. This means that the population is exposed to levels of BPA that will cause harm. I am speculating that this may be the reason why some governments have changed their minds regarding BPA exposure; however, they have not publicly stated that exposure of BPA is a concern.
Why haven't governments publicly expressed the concern that their actions imply? Well, BPA is used in almost everything and is an important chemical in industry. Furthermore, BPA-free containers use phthalates which cause similar adverse health effects. So, the government does not have an apparent answer to solve the problem. They are taking small steps in reducing BPA exposure and trying not to raise too much concern from the public.
What are the actions countries are taking?
Canada:
According to an article in a Times Magazine blog, on October 13, 2010, Canada declared BPA as a toxic substance to the environment and humans. This declaration does not completely ban the use of BPA, but it does allow Canada to ban the use of BPA in specific products such as baby bottles. The article is available at this link.
Japan:
In the years of 1998 through 2003, industries in Japan reduced the use of BPA in their products. This reduction was voluntary and not forced by government regulations. Chemicals other than BPA were used for tableware and can linings. The effort produced a reduction of BPA exposure from cans and silverware of 0.3-0.5 micrograms/kilogram per day per person and a 0.6 micrograms/kilogram per day reduction from drink bottles. This information was obtained from an organization of scientists, engineers, and policy experts called Environmental Working Group which reports on scientific studies and their own laboratory tests on environment and health issues http://www.ewg.org/node/20938. The information has been confirmed by a risk assessment document from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology: Research Center for Chemical Risk Management located in Japan. The risk assessment is available here.
United States:
Currently, the United States as a country has not passed regulation on the use of BPA in products; however, some states have proposed bans and regulations. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only has some concern about BPA, but is supporting the choice of the industry's production of BPA free baby bottles and infant feeding cups. The FDA also supports efforts to reduce the use of BPA in cans. An article on the FDA's website can be accessed here.
Sources:
The information obtained for this blog was gathered from a variety of popular press and government documents. I am not very familiar with the integrity of the Environmental Working Group; however, the information from their site matches information from a Japanese research center.
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