Plastic bottles: The FDA says they're OK, but are they really?

Report Links Plastics Chemical BPA to Health, Development Problems

By ALICIA MUNDY, Wall Street Journal
April 15, 2008 1:11 p.m.

WASHINGTON -- A report from the National Toxicology Program has concluded that the plastics chemical Bisphenol A, known as BPA, may be linked to a number of health and developmental problems, including breast cancer and early puberty.

In January, the House Energy and Commerce Committee expressed concerns because BPA is among chemicals used in plastic baby bottles as well as the plastic lining of cans of infant formula. The committee as well as health advocacy groups such as the Environmental Working Group have also complained that chemical-industry contractors have misrepresented BPA's potential hazards.

Tuesday's report from the program, part of the National Institutes of Health, contradicts the results of some industry-funded studies that have minimized concerns about the effects of small amounts of BPA. The new report said the chemical, even in small quantities, may be linked to the problems.

(More here.)