Can we trust the FDA on BPA...or anything else for that matter?

[Pat Coyle]

From Fast Company: BPA is dangerous to human health. Or it is not. That's according to two government reports in recent months that came to opposite conclusions. The National Toxicology Program (NTP), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, reported in September 2008 "some concern" that BPA harms the human brain and reproductive system, especially in babies and fetuses. Yet less than a month earlier, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared that "at current levels of exposure" BPA is safe. Even after the FDA's own science board questioned the rigor of this analysis in late October, the agency didn't change its position. Please read this expose, and share your thoughts. Can we trust the FDA?

[Dan Moore]

The FDA has been underfunded and seemingly biased strongly towards industry rather than public health for, oh, about 8 years now. Hopefully this too will change soon.

[Shay VanVlymen]

BPA has been suspected to be a health hazard since the 1930's. My math skills are weak, but I think that is longer than 8 years.

[Maggie Murry]

Scary thing isn't it? I was given a speech by someone a few years back and because of it I generally drink from cups that are glass and don't microwave anything in plastics. I actually saw on a website recently from a specialty printing place a notice on certain cups that had this in it, which I thought was nice!

[Marissa Schoemer]

Some of the biggest concern in regards to BPA is when it is coated on plastic and then the plastic is heated (which causes the breakdown). It is when this compound starts to break down that it is harmful (or at least that is the rumor - one in which I actually believe). So for the last several years I have been wary about heating plastic of any sort and then consuming the food/drink that is in it. One place that everyone should be watching out is plastic water bottles (which we should not be using anyway unless they are reusable). I know that Nalgene quit using BPA in their water bottles maybe last year. I think the FDA is behind on this one, and hopefully they will catch up. In the meantime, I don't think you can extricate it from your life but it is wise to be aware.

[Cheryl Allen]

I guess if you boil it all down to nuts and bolts (or umm....dollars and cents) the US is run by greed and fear. We American citizens have put way too much faith and given way too much power to our governmental system. We have no idea what they are "really" doing with our tax dollars or what "actually" is influencing reports such as these. I personally have lost all faith in the system. So I guess the real question is "Can we trust any goverment agency?"

[J.R. Lynch]

That would be government greed.

[Gail Hardy]

Can we trust the FDA on anything? Can we trust the CDC? After our grandson went silent at 18 months after an MMR shot, and six months later was diagnosed with autism, we started doing research. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wrote an article about the investigation of the governments coverup of the mercury / autism scandal. We first saw it mentioned in David Kirby's (New York Times best selling book) "Evidence of Harm". It also can be found on www.rollingstone.com and search for DEADLY IMMUNITY. Find out how the FDA, CDC, and politicians held a secret meeting to first admit, then spend the rest of the time on how to cover up, the link between autism and vaccines. Why does the average 2 year old now get between 24 and 32 vaccinations? Why are we not told what is actually in vaccinations? Here are a few: Ethylene glycol which is antifreeze. Phenol - also known as carbolic acid. This is used as a disinfectant, dye. Formaldehyde - a known cancer causing agent. Aluminum - is associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures. And, there is much more. This info is from an article, "Don't Vaccinate Before You Educate", (probably taken from his book: Safer Medicine: Don't Vaccinate Before You Educate), written by Mayer Eisenstein, MD, JD, MPH.

[Sean Shepard]

I love seeing the first entry being some attempt to try and make the failings of government a partisan issue. There are so many questions about so many things the FDA (or any government agency) does.

It is always important for people to do their own homework. I know many people have grave concerns about the impact High Fructose Corn Syrup or, more notoriously, Aspartame has on the human body. Both of those things were introduced long before the last 8 years.

Nobody should ever abdicate their own self preservation to their government. A prime example is all of the investors who lost money with Mr. Madoff. Many of them were very smart or very wealthy people, but the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) had checked him out something like seven times in fifteen years and found nothing wrong. Those people assumed that the government was doing as good a job protecting them as they would do themselves and they got stung. Think about how large government is and then wonder how many people got their appointments because they made the right campaign contributions, volunteered for the right guy or, thinking of Chicago here, could pony up a million bucks.

Always do your own homework and make your own judgments on the risks. It's a lot of work, but you'll be smarter, healthier, safer and more wary as a result.

[J.R. Lynch]

Well said.

[Steve Stuck]

Like Ritlin abuse we put upon our children in schools. All in the name of a fake condition called ADHD.

[J.R. Lynch]

Over reaction, my man.

[J.R. Lynch]

OK - whoever has written the story has put in key words to make moms go into panic mode. Words like: CAN, MAY or Might. Saccharine, for example, MIGHT, CAN or MAY cause cancer. Yet, research has shown that no specific case of this "carcinogen" has been linked to cancer. Or, for instance, mothers in droves kicking out the family cat for fear of toxoplasmosis that CAN, MAY or MIGHT cause birth defects. So, how does one get toxoplasmosis? The host (mom) must ingest cat feces. So, how does the cat get it? It must have eaten meat (mouse) that has been infected. Reasonable to say that the family indoor house cat is unlikely to get it ie. or mom. Many "so called" journalists or investigative reporters lean their story to get either readership or agenda for their own self interest. In the case of BPA's jumping on the band wagon prematurely is exactly what is going on in this case. While we do enjoy the casual use of certain plastics in a free will manner, it is important to remember that reacting with a knee jerk due to emotions has caused widespread implications. Example: silicon breast implants. There has been conclusive evidence that ruptured silicon breast implants do not cause cancer, the FDA still has not lifted the ban. Think of all the lawsuits that were paid out in the billions because of widespread panic of a false implication. To make a blanket statement to BPA's is to give a supposition saying that carrots cause cancer. How? Well research has shown that people who have had cancer have at least eaten or handled carrots and may have carcinogens. Absurd, of course. Here is the question: What specific case is directly linked to BPA's as a carcinogen? After we examine that, we should determine widespread implication of this. Let us pretend that BPA deaths linked to cancer annually is 1000. Many more lives and money have been lost due to either alcohol and tobacco than what BPA's could cause. Even driving cars would be far more dangerous. Not saying that life is not important but, to completely demolish a specific industry because of a knee jerk reaction is not being responsible.