With momentum building to ban Bisphenol A, the chemical industry is using the tactics that kept cigarettes on the shelve for so many years after the health risks had been well documented, according to the latest investigative report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and its Heart of Green-nominated reporters. The same reporting team — Meg Kissinger and Suzanne Rust — had already revealed how the industry was seeking a new spokesperson, ideally a young pregnant woman, to tell the public how great Bisphenol A is.
Some key facts from the new report, which is a must-read:
- The same lobbying firm, the Weinberg Group, represents both the tobacco and chemical industries. Its mission, in part, is to “support products in the legal system, the media and in the court of public opinion.”
- When it comes to regulation of harmful chemicals in consumer products, those with the best lobbyists often get what they want, often despite what the science says about health risks. The FDA has been relying on the industry for its safety assessments of Bisphenol A for more than a decade.
