FDA says it will not ban BPA use in food packaging.

 The Los Angeles Times (4/2, Boxall, Brown) reports, "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Friday that it would not ban the use of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, in food packaging but said it would continue research on the health effects of the widely used chemical." While the agency "rejected a petition by an environmental group to outlaw the compound in food and beverage containers," it "did not close the door on future regulation."
        The AP (3/31) reported, "The Natural Resources Defense Council [NRDC] petitioned the FDA in 2008 to ban BPA as a food additive, including all uses in food or beverage packaging." After "the FDA failed to respond within the required timeframe, the environmental group sued the agency." Last year, "a federal judge ruled that the agency had to respond by the end of March."

        Bloomberg News (3/31, Kaskey) reported, "'The information provided in your petition was not sufficient to persuade FDA, at this time, to initiate rulemaking to prohibit the use of BPA in human food and food packaging,' David H. Horsey, an acting associate FDA commissioner, said" Friday "in a letter to the Natural Resources Defense Council." The agency "plans to complete an updated safety review of BPA this year and will make any changes to the chemical's status based on the science, Douglas Karas, an" FDA "spokesman, said in an e-mail." Individuals "of all ages metabolize and rid their bodies of BPA faster than rodents used in studies, he said."

        CQ (4/2, Brasher, Subscription Publication) reports, "FDA says its research indicates that exposure to BPA in human infants is 84 to 92 percent less than previously estimated, and that the level of BPA from food that can be passed from pregnant rodents to unborn offspring is so low it can't be measured."
        The Wall Street Journal (3/31, Tomson, Burton, Subscription Publication) reported the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Director Linda Birnbaum said that although there is some evidence linking the chemical to certain safety risks, "we don't have all the answers yet."
        The Los Angeles Times (4/2, Brown) "Booster Shots" blog reports, however, that Birnbaum "told The Times that her 'concerns have not been alleviated by the research that has gone on in the last couple of years' and that her agency is continuing to fund further studies."
        The National Journal (3/31, Fox, Subscription Publication) reported that, in a statement, the NRDC's Sarah Janssen said, "The FDA is out of step with scientific and medical research. This illustrates the need for a major overhaul of how the government protects us against dangerous chemicals." Also covering the story were the NPR (4/2, Hamilton) "The Salt" blog, Forbes (4/2, Westervelt), MedPage Today (3/31, Fiore), and WebMD (3/31, Fiore).