A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel debated the safety of the diabetes drug Avandia today. In 2007, a study determined that Avandia raises the risk of heart attack in patients taking it. The drug’s safety and effectiveness have been hotly contested ever since.

President Obama yesterday gently reminded the U.S. Senate that food safety reform is still on their agenda, and that Senators may want to pass legislation in order to expand protections for the food supply.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is suing the Food and Drug Administration with the hopes of forcing the agency to regulate bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in hard plastics (like reusable water and baby bottles), the lining of food and beverage containers, and other everyday products. Exposure to BPA has been linked to developmental disorder, cancer, heart diseases, and other health problems.

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program to evaluate and regulate air toxics, especially in urban areas, is way behind schedule, according to an Inspector General report released last week. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA established a Integrated Urban Air Toxics Strategy in 1999, but has yet to implement much of the strategy. “For example, EPA has not established baseline risk data to measure progress in reducing air toxics risks,” according to the report.