Food Safety Bill Starts, Stalls in First Week of Lame-Duck Session

The U.S. Senate, hampered by politics and process, recently failed yet again to pass food safety reform legislation. The Senate is in the process of considering both related and unrelated amendments to the bill during the lame-duck session.

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New Study Finds High Levels of Controversial Plastics Chemical in Paper Receipts

A new analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggests that many Americans are at risk of exposure to a dangerous chemical that has been found in baby bottles, the lining of food and beverage containers, and now paper receipts. Significant levels of bisphenol-A (BPA), a controversial chemical that is not currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency, was found in 40 percent of paper receipts collected from major retailers, grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, fast-food restaurants, post offices and ATMs.

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FDA Must Consider Ruling on Plastics Chemical, Environmental Group Says

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.

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Rhyme Time: EPA to Take on BPA

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled an action plan for addressing bisphenol-A (BPA), a common chemical found in a variety of hard plastics and the lining of food can containers.

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FDA Calls BPA Risky, but Puts off Regulation

On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration made its long-awaited announcement on the safety of bisphenol-A, a chemical ingredient in hard plastics, food can liners, and other common products. The verdict? “[R]ecent studies provide reason for some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children. FDA also recognizes substantial uncertainties with respect to the overall interpretation of these studies and their potential implications for human health effects of BPA exposure.”

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FDA Delays Decision on Chemical in Plastics

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) missed a self-imposed deadline to make a determination about the safety of bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical ingredient in hard plastics, food can liners, and other common products. Studies have linked BPA exposure to heart disease, developmental disorders, and other health problems.

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Plastics Chemical Poses Sexual Health Risks to Exposed Workers

Researchers spent years studying the effects of bisphenol-A (BPA) exposure on factory workers in China, and the news isn't good. The key findings of the study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, are more or less summed up in two passages.

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FDA to Rule on Plastics Chemical in Coming Months

The Food and Drug Administration will announce by Nov. 30 its official position on bisphenol-A, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Meg Kissinger.

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California Seeks to Add New Chemicals to Prop. 65 List

California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is proposing to add 30 chemicals linked to reproductive harm and cancer to the state's Proposition 65 list. Proposition 65, a statute passed by California voters in 1986, requires the state to list chemicals known to cause public health problems and bars some actions that could expose people to the substances.

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On Bisphenol-A Policy, the Lobbyists Are in Charge

When it comes to bisphenol-A (BPA), a ubiquitous and likely dangerous chemical found in hard plastic products like water bottles, there seems to be three repeating story lines: state and local governments continue to take action, new studies continue to prove frightening, and evidence continues to surface showing that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no interest in protecting American consumers.

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