Coverage of the Food and Drug Administration’s action confirming that manufacturers no longer use BPA in baby bottles or children’s drinking cups was widespread and focused on the FDA action, though sources also noted that the action was taken in response to a request from the American Chemistry Council. Most sources also explained that the FDA continues to support the safety of using BPA in food containers. Many cited studies indicating possible dangers from BPA and the requests for a complete ban on its use in food containers by the National Resources Defense Council and a few Members of Congress.
The New York Times (7/18, A15, Tavernise, Subscription Publication) reports, “The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that baby bottles and children’s drinking cups could no longer contain bisphenol A, or BPA.” It notes that “manufacturers have already stopped using the chemical in baby bottles and sippy cups, and the F.D.A. said that its decision was a response to a request by the American Chemistry Council, the chemical industry’s main trade association, that rules allowing BPA in those products be phased out, in part to boost consumer confidence.” FDA spokesman Steven Immergut said that “the decision did not amount to a reversal of the agency’s position on the chemical,” which it declared “safe in 2008, but began expressing concerns about possible health risks in 2010.”
