Congress Questions FDA Action

You know the FDA is doing a pretty poor job when both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have questions about its work. This week the issue is why the FDA's advisory panel only used research funded by the chemical industry as the basis for its recent report that BPA is safe and harmless ... ignoring even the government's own research. Congress has asked specific questions of the FDA on this situation and is waiting for a reply. The advisory panel is scheduled to release its review of the FDA's report on BPA before it meets Oct. 31. The panel will present its findings to the FDA's Science Board, which may issue its own assessment of the agency's work.

Just last month (as noted in this blog) the Journal of the American Medical Association linked BPA to heart disease and diabetes in adults. Canada last week declared BPA to be toxic and announced plans to ban it in baby bottles. A growing number of retailers, manufacturers and government officials are taking action against BPA including state attorney generals in several states.