A commonly-known chemical of concern, bisphenol-A (BPA) is found in a wide range of ubiquitous products such as receipts and packaged food. Despite significant evidence from academic studies pointing toward negative health implications stemming from BPA exposure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains that the levels we are currently exposed to are safe.
In an effort to create a better working relationship between academia and the government around BPA research, the Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity (CLARITY-BPA) was created in 2012 by the FDA, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, and the National Toxicology Program (NTP). The major differences lay in the fact that the FDA looks at different endpoints and outcomes than academics. The FDA testing process for chemical toxicity relies on methods from the 1970’s, while independent academic research is constantly looking at new ways to evaluate risk from endocrine-disrupting chemicals. For example, the FDA looks at changes in the brain weight of rodents following toxic exposure due to brain tumors or degenerative diseases, rather than observing neurological deficits such as autism-like or ADHD behaviors.
However, now that the first round of results are in from the FDA research, it is clear this partnership has hit a roadblock. In February 2018, the FDA released a statement regarding their preliminary results saying, “Our initial review supports our determination that currently authorized uses of BPA continue to be safe for consumers.” Many groups, including the Endocrine Society, an international medical organization of more than 18,000 clinical endocrinologists and hormone researchers, found this to be concerning and premature given that the negative health outcomes in test rodents reported in the data were similar to those of the academics in the past.
As it stands now, a panel of NTP-appointed experts is reviewing the FDA’s data, and in August, the academic researchers will release the results from their study. The NTP will then integrate the two sets of data over the course of up to eight months, after which it will present its findings and final recommendations to the FDA. The FDA, of course, has the final say as to what action it does, or does not, want to take.
[Source: Huffington Post]