The verdict is in – BPA should be out.

Many worries about the safety of BPA, the estrogen simulating chemical found in some plastics and in the lining of most cans, have been discussed over the past year only to be kept at bay by the supposedly watchful FDA's constant "don't worry" attitude. In response to the growing concern a panel was assembled to review the data used to determine the safety of BPA in our food containers, and now the results are in. You've probably already seen the news – it was on the front page of newspapers across the country, our own included – but just in case you missed it, or skipped over it for the surfeit of election tidbits, we want to remind you about the importance of this panel's findings; for while the panel does not come right out and say that BPA is unsafe at current levels, it did find that the FDA "failed to consider the cumulative effect," did not study enough samples, and did not take into account recent studies that bring to light a greater concern. There are many more accusations put forth by the panel, and many great places you can go to read various views on the panel's findings (I will link a few of them at the end of this post).

Currently the FDA is planning to put in motion a new study and will get back to us, but in the meantime what do we do? It's relatively obvious that the panel believes there is some reason for concern, but will the FDA put into motion safe guards while we await their new determination? It's more likely we will have to be our own advocates and we believe it is better to be safe than sorry. And don't think this is only about infants and children; studies completed in September link BPA to diabetes and heart disease and suggest that the chemical may interfere with chemotherapies.  So what can you do?  Avoid #7 plastics; use fresh or frozen foods instead of canned; keep in mind that many metal drink containers (water bottles, coffee mugs, soda cans) are lined with BPA, so choose brands (such as Nalgene or Camelback) that are known to be BPA free; avoid heating foods in BPA laden containers, or putting foods in such containers if they are warmer than room temperature, as heat may cause increased leaching of the chemical; finally, use your economic powers to speak for you and try to purchase from companies that are either already BPA free, or those who are making the effort to remove the chemical from their shelves (Toys-R-Us or CVS to name two).

Because being informed is the best defense, here are some eye-opening articles, new and old:

The New York Times Well Blog "Panel Rebukes FDA on BPA Safety" (Oct. 29, 2008)

USA Today "Advisers: FDA Decision on Safety of BPA Flawed" (Oct. 31, 2008)

The EWG "Bisphenol A: Toxic Plastics Chemical in Canned Foods" (March 2007)

The EWG consumer tips to avoid BPA exposure (March, 2007)