Big Week for BPA

For those of you watching or reading the news last week, you’ve probably come across a couple of BPA stories making the media rounds. Regardless of whether you have or haven’t seen them, know that both are significant in that they further vindicate Canada’s earlier position on the substance (that it’s harmful) and that they contribute to building momentum for broader BPA bans (including the need to get it out of all food and beverage containers).

More specifically, a new study concluding that “higher BPA exposure, reflected in higher urinary concentrations of BPA, is consistently associated with reported heart disease in the general adult population of the USA” was published last Wednesday. This study is particularly significant in that it is the second time BPA has been linked to heart disease in humans; most studies of BPA occur in the lab. Then on Friday, the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) stated that there is “some concern” about BPA's effect on fetal, infant, and young child brain development, prostate gland development, and behavior. Although the agency was clear that their health assessment of the chemical is ongoing (and in fact, $30 million is being put to the effort), Friday's announcement is significant in that the U.S. FDA considered BPA to not be of concern up until now.

If you’re interested in reading more about these two stories, be sure to see the Globe & Mail’s article on the cardiovascular study and/or its article on the U.S. FDA’s decision. And if you are interested in learning more about what we think of the FDA’s change in direction, see a press release we put out on Friday.