The Food and Drug Administration was recently criticized by its own scientific advisers, and that's because the FDA ignored available data about health risks. These risks are posed by a chemical found in everyday plastic. However, the FDA said yesterday that is has no plans to amend its position on the substance but will continue to study it. Bisphenol A, a chemical used to harden plastic that is found in a wide variety of products, such as baby bottles, mimics estrogen and may disrupt the body's carefully calibrated endocrine system. The chemical is also known as BPA and it is found in the urine of more than 90 percent of the U.S. Population, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists think that BPA is ingested after leaching from plastic containers into food and drink. It looks like high levels of BPA cause higher rates of diabetes, liver abnormalities and heart disease.

In the past few decades, more and more studies have found that BPA may cause breast cancer, obesity, diabetes, neurological problems and several other problems. Much of the new research suggests that BPA has an effect at very low doses. The National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, reported that there is “some concern” that BPA may affect the brain and behavioral development of fetuses, infants and young children. Despite these facts, the FDA continues to say that BPA is safe, relying on two studies that were funded by the chemical industry. In October, as previously mentioned, its own panel of independent science advisers warned that FDA's position on BPA is scientifically flawed, also recommending the agency to revisit its assessment and take into account the studies it had ignored.

As for the FDA, Laura Tarantino, director of the the Office of Food Additive Safety, said that the agency will respond to these recommendations by performing additional analysis, but she also said she didn't know how much it would last. It seems that the FDA will examine the cumulative BPA exposure a person faces from numerous everyday items regulated by the agency. Of course, it's a silly effort, because all the scientists know the negative effect of the BPA. By now, several states have already introduced bans of BPA in various products and a number of retailers and manufacturers have been offering BPA-free alternatives. Furthermore, Canada already declared BPA a “toxic substance” and plans to ban it from baby bottles. A coalition of health and environmental groups will meet with President-elect Barack Obama in order to push the BPA ban as a top priority.