Washington, D.C., 15 April 2010 -- On March 29th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a bisphenol A (BPA) action plan to look deeper into the potential effects of BPA.  The plan focuses on the environmental effects of BPA and will consider adding the chemical to the EPA's 'chemicals of concern', a new list announced on December 30, 2009, and currently including phthalates and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The BPA action plan is available on the EPA website.

BPA is used to make the hard, clear plastic polycarbonate (#7), which is used for water and baby bottles, the linings of metal food cans, and numerous other common products.  Billions of pounds of BPA are produced each year, and over one million pounds of BPA are released into the environment annually.  What effect is that having on living beings? Peer-reviewed scientific research is increasingly linking BPA, which is an endocrine disruptor, to numerous adverse health effects ranging from developmental problems to cancers. What we also know is that when people are tested, BPA inevitably shows up in their bodies, if not through exposure from the chemical leaching out of food containers into their food, then likely from environmental exposure. For a fascinating example of such test results, check out one of our favorite books: Slow Death by Rubber Duck by the good folks at Environmental Defence.

Image credit: Photo by Nigel Cox from the eye-opening 2009 Fast Company article 'The Real Story Behind Bisphenol A', which uncovers a long history of corporate-government collusion and conflicts of interest in refuting and covering up the growing body of solid, non-industry funded, scientific research pointing to the dangers of BPA. Definitely worth a read.