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The can makers have a huge vested, financial interest in whether BPA is safe or not since they use it in almost every can of food or drink on the market. Of course, they also have the same personal interest as any other consumer unless neither they nor none of their loved ones ever use a can or container that has BPA. In any case, go to the jump for their news release reacting to the brand new JAMA study that links a correlation between BPA levels and some common diseases.
Statement of NAMPA Regarding JAMA-Published Study on BPAWashington, D.C. September 16, 2008 -- As with any new research regarding potential health effects associated with bisphenol A (BPA), the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. (NAMPA) takes seriously the findings of this latest study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
We are concerned about any study designed to draw inferences to chronic disorders based on incidental exposure to BPA or any other compound. BPA is quickly and efficiently eliminated from the body through urine. To suggest that BPA concentrations measured at a single point in time during the process of elimination from the body correlate in any way directly with serious chronic disorders is entirely unsupported and an unsubstantiated scientific leap.
While this study raises interesting questions, it provides no scientifically defensible answers. As the authors themselves point out, further research is needed to determine whether the associations proposed in this study are valid. Until these fundamental issues are resolved, it is unwise to ignore more than 20 years of comprehensive and thoroughly validated BPA research that points to the safety of BPA as currently used in food and beverage packaging.
Within the past two months, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both have reaffirmed the safety of BPA, based on their review of the full body of scientific research conducted according to long-established protocols for scientific analysis and risk assessment.
With regard to risk assessment, one fundamental reality has never changed - risk is never determined based on a single piece of research. Rather, the risk assessment process is premised on a body of knowledge derived from rigorous experimental design and recognized laboratory practices that meet established requirements for peer review and replicability. NAMPA expects the same rigor to be applied to this latest study before any conclusions may be drawn.
I have two comments:
1) "Correlation is not causation" is absolutely true. It's also what the cigarette manufacturers said for many years. It's also not clear from the new study how much BPA might cause how large an effect. Or whether what we see now might be related to consumption years earlier. Or whether, as the can maker folks point out, the BPA is responsible for the diseases at all.
2) This bird has flown. Science is one thing. Consumer demand is another. I predict that by this time next year, or as soon as a suitable alternative is ready for market, whichever comes first, there will be no BPA in anything touching food for sale in the US. Even in a down economy, I betcha there are more than a few highly-paid chemical engineers who are going full-tilt boogie to find something other than BPA for can linings and any other use that contacts food or drinks.
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