Science Panel: FDA BPA Stance Not Supported By Available Science

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WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A panel of science experts said the Food and
Drug Administration's conclusion that a chemical commonly used in
plastic food containers is safe isn't supported by available data and
science.

Independent studies suggesting the chemical Bisphenol-A, or BPA, isn't
safe at current levels deserve more consideration by the FDA,
according to a review of the FDA's assessment on BPA obtained by Dow
Jones Newswires.

The FDA in August issued a report saying BPA is safe at current levels
found in plastic baby bottles and canned foods. The report prompted
heavy criticism from lawmakers and scientists because it relied
largely on industry-funded studies and contradicted more than 100
studies suggesting BPA is harmful to humans.

The FDA charged a committee of scientific experts to review its August
report. The committee is scheduled to present its review at a public
meeting on Friday.

The committee said in its report it "disagrees" with the FDA's
decision to dismiss many other studies on BPA.

"The Subcommittee finds that the draft assessment conclusions are not
supported by the available data and science," the review says.

The studies dismissed by the FDA "raise additional and unsettling
concern about potential effects from exposure to BPA," the committee
says.

The review is sure to reignite questions about the FDA's handling of
BPA. The chemical, first synthesized in 1891, is used to make plastics
hard and appears in everything from baby bottles to sunglasses.
Studies suggest BPA is associated with a variety of problems,
including Type-2 diabetes, prostate cancer, genital defects in men,
early onset of puberty in women and behavioral problems.

The committee's review makes clear that the FDA "did an inadequate job
of determining if BPA levels in food containers is safe," said Diana
Zuckerman, president of the Washington-based nonprofit National
Research Center for Women & Families.

The FDA has come under heavy fire several times for its handling of
BPA. On Tuesday, Rep. Rosa DeLauro urged the FDA not to release the
review until the agency clears up outstanding conflicts of interest
involving medical professionals who authored the review.

Rep. DeLauro, D.-Conn., chairs the House committee that funds the FDA
and said in a letter to the head of the FDA that "there appears to be
a complete undermining at FDA on the BPA issue."

Indeed, lawmakers are investigating conflicts of interest involving
Martin Philbert, who chairs the committee that issued Tuesday's
review. He runs the Risk Science Center at the University of Michigan,
which has received $15 million from BPA manufacturer Dow Chemical Co.
(DOW) and another $5 million from a former medical device manufacturer
who has defended BPA's safety. BPA is commonly used in medical devices
such as IVs.

For its part, the FDA said it's reviewing conflicts of interest
involving Philbert.

The FDA acknowledged relying on industry studies on BPA, in part
because they follow strict guidelines that allow the agency to come to
independent conclusions.

Scientists, lawmakers and academics charge that the industry studies
use old- fashioned testing methods that aren't sensitive to capturing
the effects of BPA.

- By Jared A. Favole, Dow Jones Newswires