FDA defends safety of baby bottle chemical

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday said it sees no reason to tell consumers to stop using products such as baby bottles made with a controversial chemical found in many plastic items.

Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate commissioner for science, said although the regulatory agency is reviewing safety concerns about the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, "a large body of available evidence" shows that products such as liquid or food containers made with it are safe.

In testimony before a Senate subcommittee, Alderson also defended the FDA's reliance on two industry-funded studies in determining that products containing BPA are safe.

Many studies have found a variety of health problems in laboratory animals exposed to BPA.

Some senators faulted the FDA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission for failing to protect U.S. consumers from BPA as well as phthalates, a class of chemicals used to improve flexibility in plastics.

The Senate in March passed legislation that would impose a nationwide ban on phthalates in children's toys and products.

"The FDA could hardly be doing less," Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts told Alderson.

Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said the FDA was "looking the other way" on safety concerns about BPA. "Parents always err on the side of caution when it comes to their kids' health. We think that the law should do the same," he added.