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Plastics Linked to Health Risks in Humans
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR and LINDSEY TANNER
,
AP
posted: 3 HOURS 32 MINUTES AGO
comments: 4
filed under: Health News, National News
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WASHINGTON (Sept. 16) -- Federal regulators on Tuesday defended their assessment that a chemical widely used in plastic baby bottles and in food packaging is safe, even as the first major study of health effects in people linked it with possible risks for heart disease and diabetes.
"A margin of safety exists that is adequate to protect consumers, including infants and children, at the current levels of exposure," Laura Tarantino, a senior Food and Drug Administration scientist, told an expert panel that has been asked for a second opinion on the agency's assessment of bisphenol A or BPA.
Concerns About Bisphenol ADenis Farrell, AP4 photos Bisphenol A, a chemical used in baby bottles, food cans and other items, is safe, federal regulators said Tuesday. But a new study that came out the same day suggested that BPA raised a person's risk of heart disease and diabetes.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)




However, a study released Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested a new concern about BPA. Because of the possible public health implications, the results "deserve scientific follow-up," the study authors said. Using a health survey of nearly 1,500 adults, they found that those exposed to higher amounts of BPA were more likely to report having heart disease and diabetes.
But the study is preliminary, far from proof that the chemical caused the health problems. Two Dartmouth College analysts of medical research said it raises questions but provides no answers about whether the ubiquitous chemical is harmful.
FDA officials said they are not dismissing such findings, and conceded that further research is needed. "We recognize the need to resolve the concerning questions that have been raised," said Tarantino. But the FDA is arguing that the studies with rats and mice it relied on for its assessment are more thorough than some of the human research that has raised doubts.