FDA relied heavily on BPA lobby

[Celebration]

By Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel

http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/45228647.html

As federal regulators hold fast to their claim that a chemical in baby bottles is safe, e-mails obtained by the Journal Sentinel show that they relied on chemical industry lobbyists to examine bisphenol A's risks, track legislation to ban it and even monitor press coverage.

In one instance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's deputy director sought information from the BPA industry's chief lobbyist to discredit a Japanese study that found it caused miscarriages in workers who were exposed to it. This was before government scientists even had a chance to review the study.

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The Journal Sentinel reported last year that the trade group wrote entire sections of that draft. But the revelations contained in these e-mails show a pattern of preferential treatment over the past nine years that was not afforded to independent scientists.

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The Journal Sentinel contacted several independent scientists who are BPA experts, and all said they were not given such access to FDA safety assessors. Nor did the FDA seek their opinions or ask them to review studies, they said.

On the contrary, some said they were discouraged at not being able to get their views across to government regulators, and resented what they saw as uneven treatment.