The politics of plastics: the making and unmaking of bisphenol a "safety".
Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical used in the production of plastics since the 1950s and a known endocrine disruptor, is a ubiquitous component of the material environment and human body. New research on very-low-dose exposure to BPA suggests an association with adverse health effects, including breast and prostate cancer, obesity, neurobehavioral problems, and reproductive abnormalities. These findings challenge the long-standing scientific and legal presumption of BPA's safety. The history of how BPA's safety was defined and defended provides critical insight into the questions now facing lawmakers and regulators: is BPA safe, and if not, what steps must be taken to protect the public's health? Answers to both questions involve reforms in chemical policy, with implications beyond BPA.
Vogel
Sarah A
SA
Chemical Heritage Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, USA. svogel@jffnd.org
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D015197:Carcinogenicity Tests; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history; D033161:Government Regulation; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016272:Occupational Health; D010636:Phenols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000266:history; D010969:Plastics / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000266:history; D011057:Politics; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D010636:Phenols; D010969:Plastics; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds