FDA: DON'T TRUST, JUST VERIFY
I just read an article in Fast Company about the story behind bisphenaol A (BPA), and how the chemical industry manipulates the data to ensure its continued use. According to the article, BPA is found in almost everything from CD’s and DVD’s, to cell phones, eyeglasses and drinking bottles. It’s also used in infant-formula cans and clear plastic baby bottles. Numerous studies have shown that when heated, the chemical can latch onto to food and liquids.
BPA in the body acts as a synthetic form of estrogen, which can cause infertility or cancer. Most of the studies stating that BPA is safe come from industry sponsored research. But there are studies from consumer groups and institutional research that come to a different conclusion but the FDA relies heavily on the research provided by the industry. Additionally, there are organizations such as The Weinberg Group that specialize in defending companies that produce dangerous chemicals and the “PR problem” that comes with it. The defended the use of fen-phen and ephedra in such a way that it took ten years to finally pull the drugs from the market.
I believe everyone should read this article but it will not only educate you on the chemical but it really shines a light on how inadequate the FDA is in protecting us and how little corporations care about the safety of the American consumer.
This is even more evident with the recent salmonella outbreak that we now know was caused by tainted peanut butter. Think about that for a moment. TAINTED PEANUT BUTTER. People are being killed by the Keebler Elf. And I do say killed because it has come to light that a company’s own test identified the contamination but instead of pulling the product, they shopped for a negative result. This shopping occurs time and time again and it is the public that pays the tab.
The response from the FDA and the Georgia Department of Agriculture is that they relied upon the test provided by the company. Should we not be concerned about this process? We relied upon the banks to regulate themselves and look where that got us. We have companies knowingly producing hazardous products but because of financial concerns, they place the public at risk. Now because of the criminal acts of a peanut butter manufacturer, eight people are dead and over 500 have been sickened by their product.
Where is the outrage? I realize that this is a complicated issue and not at all sexy. But seriously, the media spent a week discussing a “lipstick on a pig” comment by Barak Obama. Certainly our safety deserves more attention than that.
Until the FDA steps up to the plate and the chemical industry comes clean, the best thing to do is purchase glass baby bottle and you can go to Amazon.com BPA-Free product listing: Also, be very cautious of anything you read in the Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology journal as they are sponsored by the same people that tried to convince you that fen-phen was a safe product.
BPA in the body acts as a synthetic form of estrogen, which can cause infertility or cancer. Most of the studies stating that BPA is safe come from industry sponsored research. But there are studies from consumer groups and institutional research that come to a different conclusion but the FDA relies heavily on the research provided by the industry. Additionally, there are organizations such as The Weinberg Group that specialize in defending companies that produce dangerous chemicals and the “PR problem” that comes with it. The defended the use of fen-phen and ephedra in such a way that it took ten years to finally pull the drugs from the market.
I believe everyone should read this article but it will not only educate you on the chemical but it really shines a light on how inadequate the FDA is in protecting us and how little corporations care about the safety of the American consumer.
This is even more evident with the recent salmonella outbreak that we now know was caused by tainted peanut butter. Think about that for a moment. TAINTED PEANUT BUTTER. People are being killed by the Keebler Elf. And I do say killed because it has come to light that a company’s own test identified the contamination but instead of pulling the product, they shopped for a negative result. This shopping occurs time and time again and it is the public that pays the tab.
The response from the FDA and the Georgia Department of Agriculture is that they relied upon the test provided by the company. Should we not be concerned about this process? We relied upon the banks to regulate themselves and look where that got us. We have companies knowingly producing hazardous products but because of financial concerns, they place the public at risk. Now because of the criminal acts of a peanut butter manufacturer, eight people are dead and over 500 have been sickened by their product.
Where is the outrage? I realize that this is a complicated issue and not at all sexy. But seriously, the media spent a week discussing a “lipstick on a pig” comment by Barak Obama. Certainly our safety deserves more attention than that.
Until the FDA steps up to the plate and the chemical industry comes clean, the best thing to do is purchase glass baby bottle and you can go to Amazon.com BPA-Free product listing: Also, be very cautious of anything you read in the Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology journal as they are sponsored by the same people that tried to convince you that fen-phen was a safe product.
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