News

'Just get it out of the food.' Senator wants chemical banned

(Palm Beach Post)

The controversial chemical Bisphenonal A, commonly called BPA, is in food and metal food containers like baby bottles and cans of soup.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, says the substance should be banned, even as scientists disagree on whether small amounts of BPA leaching into food and drink is a health concern.

This week Markey introduced a bill called the "Ban Poisonous Additives Act," a prohibition on BPAs.

"We just have to finally say there is no role for BPA in anything that is connected to any food product in the United States," Markey said.

The National Institutes of Health says it has "some concern" about the impact of BPA on the brain and other organs of infants and children.

Twelve states have taken steps to ban or restrict the chemical.

But the FDA has said it is safe, especially given the relatively minor amount that might be exposed in food and drink.

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and other government agencies around the globe have found no public health risk associated with BPA in any food or beverage," reads a statement on the American Beverage Association's website.