The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection held a hearing last week on “Phthalates and Bisphenol-A in Everyday Consumer Products.” See webcast here.  (MassTortDefense has posted on BPA before, here and here and here.  Phthalates are chemicals used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and make it flexible.)

This testimony before Congress pointed out one of the major problems with the knee-jerk reaction of sensationalist media, liberal lobbyists, and uninformed legislators who quickly call for the banning of useful products as soon as any scientific reports even hint of a risk. A chemist from the Consumer Product Safety Commission noted that the banning of di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) from all children’s products, could lead to substitute plasticizers that are not as fully studied, not as well known, or not as well characterized toxicologically. And banning BPA could lead to more children injuries.

In addition to the CPSC, officials of the FDA, NTP, and EPA testified as well before the House subcommittee on June 10th. Also, the Science and Environmental Health Network testified in favor of a ban, while the American Chemistry Council opposed it. The hearing came as House and Senate conferees are working out differences in their respective legislation to reform the CPSC. See the MassTortDefense post here on that. The industry voluntarily removed DINP from teethers, rattles, and pacifiers in the late 1990’s. The Senate version of the CPSC bill would essentially prohibit these phthalates from children’s toys or child care articles: DINP, di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP).

Bisphenol-A (BPA) was the other chemical at issue in the hearing. The CPSC official testified that its beneficial uses in items such as helmets and other protective gear to prevent injuries in children needs to be considered. A ban could result in less effective protection of children from head, eye, or bodily injury. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has introduced legislation that would prohibit the use of bisphenol-A in all food and beverage containers. (The “Ban Poisonous Additives (BPA)” Act, text here.)  But the Food and Drug Administration associate commissioner for science testified that available evidence indicates that food contact materials containing BPA currently are safe as exposures from food contact materials are well below the levels that may cause health effects.

The FDA formed a BPA task force in April that is reviewing current research on BPA, and looking at all products regulated by the FDA to better understand potential routes of exposure. The FDA also is looking at concerns raised by the draft report by the National Toxicology Program. See our post here.