FDA Sued Over Bisphenol A

The Natural Resources Defense Council is suing FDA for not banning bisphenol A (BPA) from plastic food containers and packaging. In October 2008, the environmental group petitioned FDA to ban BPA from materials that come into contact with food, but the agency did not take action. FDA did, however, announce in January that it has some concern about BPA’s potential to cause developmental effects in fetuses, infants, and children (C&EN, Jan. 25, page 8). The agency is working with other federal organizations on determining the health effects of BPA and hopes to have more data in a year or two. “FDA has failed to safeguard the food supply and protect the public from harm,” Aaron Colangelo, an attorney with NRDC, said in a statement. The American Chemistry Council, a chemical industry group, commented on the lawsuit, saying that “the scientific process and the public interest are both best served by allowing the FDA to complete its ongoing review of the science surrounding the safety profile of BPA.”