Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced last week that she would seek to ban the chemical bisphenol-A in food and drink containers as part of an amendment to the proposed Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510). That move has the double distinction of lacking in scientific merit and threatening to undermine the bipartisan support for the good parts of the pending bill.  The Grocery Manufacturers of America and the Chamber of Commerce had expressed support for the food safety bill, but may oppose it if the bill contains language banning the chemical. The food safety bill is expected to come up after Congress returns from its Memorial Day break.

The Senator’s ill-supported approach by-passes the safety review that belongs with the FDA, and is ongoing, with a re-review assessment due in 2011. NIH has also launched a study on the safety of low level exposure to BPA.  World-wide regulatory agencies who have reviewed BPA have thus far concluded that BPA is safe for use in canned products.  The European Food Safety Authority has announced a delay in delivering its own latest BPA report, needing more time to review the body of research on the chemical.

Clearly, an abrupt and unnecessary ban on packaging containing BPA would affect consumer ability to find nutritious, valuable, and shelf stable foods and beverages.  The proposed ban runs counter to the fact that BPA has been used for over 30 years to improve the safety and quality of food and beverages, including by providing protective coating for cans. The overwhelming scientific evidence points to the conclusion that at current human exposure levels, BPA is not toxic.  What is in fact occurring is that anti-chemical activists are simply manipulating consumers’ fears, and opportunistic politicians are jumping in.

Even though there is no persuasive scientific evidence that BPA causes the type of harm the politicians speculate about, litigation is well underway in both the Western District of Missouri (MDL 1967) and the Western District of Kentucky (MDL 2137). The former involves class action suits against manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups. The claims include alleged violation of state consumer protection acts, fraud, breach of warranty, unjust enrichment, strict product liability, and negligence. MDL 2137, on the other hand, involves suits against an aluminum bottle manufacturer claiming that the manufacturer marketed its product as an alternative to BPA-containing plastic even though its metal bottles were allegedly lined with an epoxy resin containing BPA.