More on BPA

Perhaps you heard recently that BPA was found not be harmful like was once thought. Well, today, new news...

From the Washington Post:

The Food and Drug Administration ignored scientific evidence and used flawed methods when it determined that a chemical widely used in baby bottles and in the lining of cans is not harmful, a scientific advisory panel has found.

Yes, this is the same government agency (the FDA) that "is responsible for the safety regulation of most types of foods, dietary supplements, drugs, vaccines, biological medical products, blood products, medical devices, radiation-emitting devices, veterinary products, and cosmetics." (excerpted from Wikipedia)
This is frustrating, and scary. I mean, that word "ignored"...did they overlook some evidence or did they truly choose to ignore it? Very troubling.

My mom also called me this morning because she saw this story on The CBS Early Show about BPA:




Also worth mentioning, as the doctor on the Early Show did, is that Canada recently labeled BPA a toxin.

This is not only a reminder to me about baby bottles, but makes me wonder about other questionable products/chemicals that are said to be safe by the FDA.

A sort of unrelated story, but still about the FDAs definition of "safe"...
I recently had to reconsider the use a prescription gel I use on my face for Rosacea. My dermatologist told me it was safe to use in pregnancy (no, not pregnant yet...maybe soon). I first just took her word and didn't think much more about it. Then I decided to find out exactly what class drug it is. It is a Class B drug, which is considered safe during pregnancy. But, here's the description of Class B drug, (from the FDA):

Animal studies have revealed no evidence of harm to the fetus, however, there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women.
or
Animal studies have shown an adverse effect, but adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women have failed to demonstrate a risk to the fetus.

Hmmm...I don't know...does that sound safe enough to you? John's take, "If it's not necessary, don't take it."

As I mentioned before, this is all very troubling. It shows me that I absolutely have to do my research. I can't let my guard down and just trust that someone else is going to give me the important information I need to decide what's safe...and I can't trust someone else's definition of "safe". But, what bothers me even more is that so much of the stuff on store shelves may or may not be safe...who knows.

And back to the BPA issue (before I step off my soapbox)...
I got angry tonight after seeing today's BPA report on World News. As soon as I heard about the BPA issue, way back whenever it was, I threw away my old bottles with plans to replace them. All of my friends did the same. We are fortunate enough to have had this option. But, it makes me angry to think that there are probably many people who heard the reports from the FDA that BPA is safe and chose to not spend money, or didn't have the money to spend on new bottles...or people who didn't even know, but bought bottles with BPA in them because they were left on the shelves to be sold since the FDA said they were safe and the companies stood by that. First, I hope that we follow Canada's lead and ban BPA, in bottles and other containers used for foods and drinks. But, I also hope someone looks into who "ignored" the scientific evidence surrounding the safety of BPA.

Okay...that's all!
Read labels, do your research, and be safe!