The issue of Bis-Phenol A (BPA) contamination of milk from polycarbonate feeding bottles and other foods from resins used as lining in cans became a serious concern from food safety angle and a firm decision regarding what needs to be done is still on hold by authorities in many countries. The expected decision by USFDA on this issue was to come before November 30, 2009 but it was deferred for reasons not known. Industry sources generally feel that BPA concerns are not that serious as to warrant any drastic action at present though some manufacturers have voluntarily declared that they would not use BPA generating plastics for their products. To add to the prevailing knowledge, further studies carried out have brought out newer dangers to human health caused by low doses of BPA, besides those already documented earlier.
"NRA said its team orally administered doses of BPA to the rats that were equivalent to about 10 times less than the daily amount considered safe for humans. The Toulouse-based body's research was also carried out on human intestine cells and revealed the chemical lowered the permeability of the intestines and the immune system's response to digestive inflammation. They also found that newborn rats exposed to BPA in the uterus and during feeding have a higher risk of developing severe intestinal inflammation in adulthood".
Probably the fact that the findings are based on rat studies initially, may still give some scope to question the validity of claims of danger posed by BPA but the results of studies on human intestine cells do indict BPA in no uncertain terms. It is prudent to err on the safer side than give the benefit of doubt to this killer chemical.
V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com
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