Bisphenol-A, BPA, Safety, Human Health, Concern, Neurotoxicity, and Public Policy

Bisphenol-A is a highly contentious but widely chemical used in the production of plastics, particularly polycarbonates (U.S. Number-7). Secondly, it’s often used to make epoxy resins which are used as coatings on the inside of most food and beverage cans. While traces of it have been detected in most humans, the concern is primarily about the long term, low-dose health effects. Various studies have been performed on animals, and some research attempts to link BPA exposure to serious illnesses and developmental disorders. The problem arises when BPA leaches from the plastic in which it’s bound. This can happen through polycarbonate exposure to heat and harsh chemicals and abrasives used as cleaning agents. For this reason, the single largest recommendation to the public has been to treat polycarbonates with care, or avoid them altogether.

Because the chemical industry supplies so much of it for various applications, their trade association The American Chemistry Council, has been very vocal and influential in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s continuous examination of it. So much so, that various parties have loudly complained that the FDA is limiting it’s evaluation inputs to only those that favor benign conclusions, while dismissing research that claims otherwise as conducted by the National Toxicology program (a division of the U.S. National Institutes of Health), leading American universities like Yale and Tufte, and the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A lot is at stake here for various parties in the supply chain of affiliated suppliers and manufacturers across industries, hence the defense. In August, the FDA claimed BPA was safe but due to the loud concerns, said that it would readress the topic in mid September. Well, that day came on Sept. 16th and the conclusion as indicated by Laura Tarantino of the office of food additive safety, was as follows:

“Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it’s safe, so we’re not recommending any change in habits, [but] there are a number of things people can do to lower their exposure.”

The public recommendation was to avoid heating polycarbonate containers, so as to avoid BPA leaching. Although not particularly addressed, this recommendation applies especially for baby bottles. A lobby called the Environmental Working Group has been the most staunch opponent of BPA and has heavily pushed the baby-related health concern by pointing out the increased uptake of BPA among infants and young children in studies by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Toxicology program. While this has been generally agreed to be true, the contentious issue is how much is considered to be ‘safe’.

As public knowledge over the health concerns surrounding BPA has increased in the last year, sales of glass and BPA-free plastic baby bottles have skyrocketed. The public demand and concern has been large enough that some retailers have stopped purchasing polycarbonate baby bottles altogether, in order to both protect their public image and shopper interests. Canada has already banned baby bottles with BPA until further notice.

So expect further discussion and dissent on this topic in the months and perhaps years to come. Even if BPA isn’t officially banned, one must look at what the FDA’s recent recommendations do imply. Does this mean polycarbonates should have a warning label?

From a marketing standpoint, it serves as an interesting example of where human health concerns and an increasingly informed public can stir up innovation. One example of this is the Adiri Natural Nurser baby bottle. Secondly, although unrelated to plastics, is the area of household cleaners. Companies like Seventh Generation, Earth Friendly Products, and Clorox Green Works are capitalizing by making products safer to begin with, so warning labels and preventative measures taken by customers aren’t necessarily needed. That is an inherent advantage in customer usability (another product benefit), and one that will become increasingly important as green chemistry will allow for new innovative materials and products across industries.