05.15.08
FDA, protecting business and not you
The Bush FDA continues it new role of protecting businesses. Brian Clark Howard posts on The Daily Green:
The controversy over the safety of the chemical bisphenol A continues, as the U.S. FDA issues a statement saying that the agency sees no reason to tell consumers to stop using products that contain it, Reuters reports. This includes polycarbonate baby bottles, water bottles and more (which should be labeled with the #7 recycling code).
The FDA’s statement, released in a climate of heavy pressure from the chemical industry, is in contrast to developments in Canada. On April 19 the Canadian government began a 60-day public comment period on whether polycarbonate baby bottles should be banned in the country. Observers have said a comprehensive ban on polycarbonate is even possible up north in the near future.
For its part, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., makers of Nalgene bottles, have announced that they will stop using polycarbonate. Wal-Mart says it expects all baby bottles it carries to be free of the material by early next year, and Toys R Us has discussed a similar plan.
If such major players are clearly expressing concern over BPA, what legs does the FDA have to stand on for its reassurance? According to Reuters, the FDA’s associate commissioner for science, Norris Alderson, said the feds are reviewing safety concerns, and pointed to two industry-funded studies claiming it poses no risk.
However, Democratic Senators John Kerry and Charles Schumer, among many health advocates, are arguing that the government isn’t going near far enough. They point to an April draft report issued by the National Toxicology Program that expressed some concern that BPA had the potential to cause neural and behavioral problems in fetuses, infants and children. That agency said evidence from several alarming animal studies suggests there may indeed be a link between BPA exposure and early puberty and prostate and breast cancer in people.
The fact that a number of red flags have been raised around the world over the safety of BPA is enough to make many parents want to reduce their children’s exposure, especially given that youngsters are so much more susceptible to chemical harm than adults. With other types of plastic, ceramic, glass, metal and so on widely available, why take a gamble with our future just to maintain entrenched chemical industry profits?
Amelia Royko Maurer said,
16 May 2008 at 3:35 pm
SO great to see others offering alternatives to plastic. This message is part info-bit and shameless plug for my store, Free Market Organics,
http://www.freemarketorganics.com
which was primarily started to offer people a safe place to shop where they needn’t read labels or stress out. Everything has been researched and screened beyond the FDA’s wildest dreams.
First off, I have read that Eden Foods and Trader Joe’s no longer line their cans with BPA. While it is ofcourse better to source your food locally and fresh and freeze or can it, once in a while we like to save a little time so there are two brand options. If you would like to find a local farm or coop in your area that can offer your local organic produce check out Local Harvest:
http://www.localharvest.org/
Secondly, I care deeply about all of this stuff and have heavily researched BPA. I even called the scientist who discovered the issues with the chemical 10 years ago for advice. This is why I openned Free Market Organics: to open a one stop shop for people wanting to buy the safest goods on the market that sit closest to their skin and food.
we carry all glass food storage containers:
http://freemarketorganics.com/glfost.html
glass baby bottles:
http://freemarketorganics.com/weekitchen.html
stainless steel water bottles and sippy’s:
http://freemarketorganics.com/togo.html
organic bamboo utensils and prepware:
http://freemarketorganics.com/shopkitchen.html
petroleum-free skin care screened by the Cosmetic Safety Database:
http://freemarketorganics.com/shopbody.html
certified organic clothing, undergarments and essentials from newborn on up to mom and dad:
http://freemarketorganics.com/freeshop.html
Lastly, avoid any water bottle or sippy that is lined with secret ingredients. Like Sigg- is lined with Epoxy. One ingredient in epoxy is Bisphenol A. They won’t tell you this but they will tell you they test for leaching BPA, but they don’t test for it properly. IF they did, I’d be carrying their bottle and geting rico with everyone else.
Best wishes to you and all of your families!
Amelia Royko Maurer
Free Market Organics
http://www.freemarketorganics.com
Loren Paz said,
18 May 2008 at 8:27 pm
I swear the FDA is crooked. The panel members that decides whether or not drugs are approved usually has friends in pharmaceticual companies, mostly the large ones. That is why you have deadly drugs like Vioxx being approved and on the market. While harmless drugs for small pharmaceticual companies are being rejected since it would hurt business of the larger companies.