The Labor Department today announced separately that it will review two controversial Bush administration policies.

The first is an OSHA proposal that could limit worker exposure to diacetyl, a chemical used to give food a buttery flavor. Factory workers (and possibly consumers) exposed to diacetyl are at a higher risk for developing bronchiolitis obliterans, a potentially fatal lung disease. (Background here.)

Ensuring the safety of the food and drug supply is something “only a government can do,” President Obama said on Saturday. Obama used his weekly address to shine a bright spotlight on food safety, focusing on government’s role in fixing the problems that have led to recent high-profile foodborne illness outbreaks like the current peanut contamination scare.

A federal agency responsible for studying and responding to adverse health effects caused by toxic waste is reticent to acknowledge patterns of illness near contaminated sites, according to a report released by the House Science Committee subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.

It seems as though just about everyone is taking action to limit the use of the ubiquitous chemical bisphenol-A – that is, everyone but the FDA. BPA is a compound used in hard plastics and the lining of food cans that has been linked to developmental disorders. Over the past year or so, the media has been reporting regularly on the scientific studies documenting the risks associated with BPA as well as growing consumer concern over its safety, especially for kids.