Chemical Imbalance

Based on a new study, the FDA says a controversial plastic is safe. Scientists remain wary

- Kate Sheridan

IS THERE, AS THE 1967 FILM

The Graduate famously predicted, a great future in plastics? Over the past decade, studies showing health risks posed by the chemical bisphenol A have prompted a mass shunning of potentially unsafe plastic products. Based on recent research, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is now saying the fear may be overblown.

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is found in canned goods, food storage containers and other household items. Abundant past research in the U.S. and elsewhere has found that BPA might act as a hormone disruptor, messing with estrogen and other chemicals related to reproduction. Some small studies in humans spotted a link between BPA levels and polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder, and miscarriages. Others have not. But based on data from animal studies, California’s Environmental Protection Agency warned in 2015 that BPA could cause “reproductive toxicity” in women. The FDA’s website states otherwise: