FDA does an about face on BPA

In a shift of position, the Food and Drug Administration is expressing concerns about possible health risks from bisphenol-A, or BPA, a widely used component of plastic bottles and food packaging that it declared safe in 2008. Bisphenol-a BPA, found in Nalgene brand water bottles, is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in industry. The agency said Friday that it had “some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children,” and would join other federal health agencies in studying the chemical in both animals and humans.

via In Reversal, U.S. Expresses Concerned Over Additive to Plastics – NYTimes.com.

Millions Drink Tap Water That Is Legal, but Maybe Not Healthy – Series – NYTimes.com

The 35-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal.

via Millions Drink Tap Water That Is Legal, but Maybe Not Healthy – Series – NYTimes.com.

Also, listen to the author, Charles Duhigg, on NPR’s Fresh Air.

Lining in Canned Food has Measurable Levels of BPA

Consumer Reports’ latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods tested contain measurable levels of Bisphenol A (BPA). The results are reported in the December 2009 issue and also available online. BPA, which has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and food-can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because it has been linked to a wide array of health effects including reproductive abnormalities, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. I’ve reported on BPA here, here, and here.

via Civil Eats » Blog Archive » Tests Find Wide Range of Bisphenol A in Canned Soups, Juice, and More.

Phone App Product Guide — Useful While Shopping

Companies manufacturing cleaning products are not required to tell you what chemicals they use in their products. Without ingredient transparency, it’s hard for people to make safe, well-informed decisions. To help educate you about how to read labels so you can understand the potential risks in many cleaning products, Seventh Generation wants to equip you with the Label Reading Guide. Download the mobile, Mac, or Windows app, or printable PDF, and become a better ingredient detective today.

via Label Reading Guide -Cleaning Products Ingredients Information Guide -Family Health and Safety | Seventh Generation.

Triclosan: A pesticide common in hundreds of products from soap to toothpaste

Triclosan is the germ-killing chemical of choice in hundreds of products, including liquid hand soaps, toothpaste and deodorants. Now some scientists are calling for its removal from consumer products because it is building up in the ocean’s food web. A new study found that one-third of the bottlenose dolphins tested off South Carolina and almost one-quarter of those tested off Florida carried traces of triclosan in their blood. The concentrations found in the dolphins are known to disrupt the hormones and growth and development of other animals.

via Germ-killing chemical from soaps, toothpaste building up in dolphins — Environmental Health News.

Conference Highlights: The Future of US Chemicals Policy

A Landmark Conversation: The Future of U.S. Chemicals Policy

Under the outdated and toothless federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), chemicals can go on the U.S. market with little or no safety testing, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has only limited power to protect public health. One result, studies have shown, is that babies are born with hundreds of industrial chemicals in their bodies, Many of them are suspected of contributing to a growing list of health problems such as childhood cancer, obesity, autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, infertility and birth defects.

via A Landmark Conversation: The Future of U.S. Chemicals Policy | Environmental Working Group.

Overview: Environmental Toxins (with useful links)

National surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show measurable levels of high-volume synthetic chemicals in the bodies of nearly all Americans, including newborns, infants and in the breast milk of nursing mothers.

via Mount Sinai – Environmental Toxins.

Very Cool Site: What’s on My Food

Pesticides

…on our food, even after washing;

…in our bodies, for years;

…& in our environment, traveling many miles on wind, water and dust.

What’s On My Food? is a searchable database designed to make the public problem of pesticide exposure visible and more understandable.

How does this tool work? We link pesticide food residue data with the toxicology for each chemical, making this information easily searchable for the first time.

via What’s On My Food? :: Pesticides On Food.

[Thanks to Michelle for forwarding the link!]

Background on Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Urgent Need for New Chemical Control Laws in the US

As discussed here previously, the US is taking a hard look at its 30+ year old chemical control law, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Many argue that the law is outdated, both because it doesn’t require health and safety data for new chemical notifications and because the bar for regulating existing chemicals seems too high a hurdle. Around 63,000 existing chemicals were grandfathered onto the TSCA Inventory with no health and safety review, and only a handful have seen such reviews since…

via The Dake Page: Chemical Control Reform – Kids Safe Out…ChAMP In?.

Wonder what FRAGRANCE really means on a label?

20 Most Common Chemicals in Perfume and Their Health Risks.