US Congress eyes bans on BPA, phthalates

10 June 2008 21:50  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--Environmentalists urged Congress on Tuesday to ban the use of phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) in consumer products as a precautionary measure but chemical industry officials said science supports their continued use.

 

In a House hearing on the safety of phthalates and BPA in end-use consumer products, physician Ted Schettler argued that preliminary research showing widespread presence of both substances in humans and animal testing showing they can be toxic and interfere with human development warrant pre-emptive action.

 

Schettler, science director for the Science and Environmental Health Network, told the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection that phthalates interfere with normal testosterone production in males, especially foetuses and infants. 

 

He charged that the presence of BPA in the general public is at levels of exposure that have caused a range of abnormalities in animal testing.

 

Schettler conceded that clinical studies on the health impact of phthalates and BPA in humans are limited, but that policymakers can not afford to postpone action until human health consequences are widespread.

 

“I urge you to think about this from a public health perspective and ask what amount or strength of evidence we should require before taking action to reduce or eliminate exposures to these chemicals, particularly in vulnerable populations,” Schettler said.

 

“Do we wait for irrefutable proof of harm in people before taking action?” he asked.

 

Marian Stanley, senior director at the American Chemistry Council (ACC), argued that despite mounting concern among the public and in news media about potential harm from BPA and phthalates, both substances are proven safe.

 

She said that only trace amounts of BPA end up in consumer products and that both BPA and phthalates have been in wide use for decades and have been extensively studied worldwide by independent researches and government agencies.

 

“US regulatory agencies charged with regulating these compounds in various applications, after reviewing the large body of scientific data, have reached conclusions supporting their safe use in important applications,” Stanley said.

 

“The scientific evidence supports the continued use of these important materials,” she added.

 

Congress is considering language in a Senate bill to reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that would ban or severely limit the use of BPA and phthalates. The House version of the CPSC reform legislation does not contain a ban.

 

Representative John Dingell (Democrat-Michigan), powerful chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, indicated in a statement that he was reluctant to support bans on BPA and phthalates until risks posed by the two substances are adequately assessed along with the safety of alternative chemicals.

 

BPA is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, and phthalate esters are used chiefly to plasticize or soften polyvinyl chloride products in a wide variety of applications.

 

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By: Joe Kamalick
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