Feds Reject Petition To Ban BPA In Food (AUDIO)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/03/30/149683556/feds-to-decide-on-banning-bpa-from-food-and-other-products



The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has denied a call to ban the plastic additive BPA from food packaging. The action comes after government scientists found little reason to think people are being harmed by the chemical.

The FDA was responding to a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council, which called for the ban on BPA, also known as bisphenol A, from any use where it comes in contact with food.

Environmental groups said the ban would protect consumers from the health effects of BPA that leaches from products including some soup cans and water bottles. The chemical can act like estrogen in the body, and studies of animals show that large doses can affect the brain and sexual development.