FDA reviewing decision on safety of baby bottle chemical

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing its conclusion from last year that a chemical used in baby bottles and food containers is safe for infants.

The news came just hours after two Democrats sent a letter Tuesday questioning that decision to new FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. She has pledged to restore confidence in the agency by putting science first in its decision-making process.

The FDA ruled last year that trace amounts of bisphenol-A, or BPA, that leach out of bottles and food packaging are not dangerous. But the agency's advisers faulted the report for relying on a small number of industry-sponsored studies. Consumer advocates said it ignored dozens of animal studies suggesting BPA can interfere with infant hormone levels.

FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said the agency's chief scientist, Dr. Jesse Goodman, was asked to "take a fresh look at this important issue from a scientific and policy position."

"He intends to review all the data, listen to people on all sides of this issue, and talk to experts inside and outside of the federal government," Herndon said in a statement. The review will be completed in "weeks, not months," he said.

In the letter to Hamburg, Reps. Henry Waxman and Bart Stupak questioned whether the agency's decision on BPA's safety might have been influenced by companies.

"The new leadership at the FDA should conduct an immediate review of not only the safety of BPA but also the agency's interaction with industry groups in making the previous determination that BPA was safe," said Stupak, D-Mich.Waxman, D-Calif., is head of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. Stupak chairs its subcommittee on oversight.

In a separate letter to the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, the congressmen asked the group to hand over any documents related to a recent meeting aimed at heading off regulation of bisphenol. The industry group had assembled in Washington to discuss public relations strategy, according to various media reports.

The group includes food packagers like H.J. Heinz and bisphenol producers, including Dow Chemical and Hexion Specialty Chemicals.

In a statement Monday, the group acknowledged the meeting but said "it was nothing more than an effort by industry to find a way to portray correctly the science about BPA that has been repeatedly ignored by the media."

The North American Metal Packaging Alliance did not immediately return calls for comment Tuesday afternoon.