The government is wasting millions of dollars by examining the effects of a common household chemical that has already been the subject of more than 900 studies, say 33 scientific experts on bisphenol A.
The scientists, most from universities, have written a letter to Food and Drug Administration commissioner Margaret Hamburg that accuses the agency of stalling at the risk of public health.
The agency is reassessing its opinion and has said it expects to issue a new opinion on BPA’s safety by Nov. 30.
“FDA’s plans to spend significant time and money on a very well researched chemical are disturbing,” says the letter, signed by the scientists, all of whom have studied the chemical’s effects.
The letter was sent by R. Thomas Zoeller, professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts. It is signed by 32 others, many of whom served on government panels to study the chemical’s effects.
BPA, used to make hard, clear plastic, has been found in dozens of studies to cause cell changes that lead to breast and prostate cancer. Other studies have linked it to neurological disorders, diabetes, asthma and heart disease. It has been found to interfere with the effects of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.
BPA has been found in the urine of 93% of Americans tested.
