Toxic Curve Ball: Why Outdated Assumptions to Determine "Safe Levels" of Toxicants Forfeit the Game

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/06/03/toxic-curve-ball-why-outdated-assumptions-to-determine-safe-levels-of-toxicants-forfeit-the-game/
Date Written:  2016-06-03
Publisher:  CounterPunch
Year Published:  2016
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX19502

By now, a large number of consumers are aware of the hazards of the synthetic compound bisphenol-A (BPA). Effective May 11, 2016, under California state law Proposition 65, products containing BPA must possess a warning label indicating that exposure could result in female reproductive impairment. Independent research on the endocrine disrupting effects of the chemical, commonly used in plastic bottles, the lining of metal cans, and customer receipts, among other applications, has consistently demonstrated toxic effects at low dose exposures. Two recent robust studies from Denmark concur, finding deleterious effects in rats exposed to BPA at doses lower than those considered safe for human ingestion, yet not at several higher doses. Nevertheless, regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conclude that BPA is safe at the levels at which it is currently in use.