FDA's Science Board To Review Bisphenol A

At the request of FDA's chief scientist, Frank M. Torti, the agency's Science Board has established a new subcommittee to review the safety of the plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disrupter. In April, because of an ongoing congressional investigation and a media firestorm focusing on the use of BPA in consumer products such as baby bottles and infant formula containers, FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach formed an agency-wide task force to review the safety of BPA in all FDA-regulated products. The new Science Board subcommittee will review a report this fall from that task force and hold a public meeting on the topic later this year, FDA Associate Commissioner for Science Norris E. Alderson said at a House Energy & Commerce subcommittee hearing on June 10. Alderson chairs FDA's BPA Task Force.