On January 15, 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement regarding the agency’s position on the use and safety of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in food contact materials.

Bisphenol-A is a chemical that is used in making hard plastic polycarbonate bottles, such as reusable water bottles and baby bottles, and is also found in an epoxy resin that is used as a protective lining on the inside of metal-based food and beverage cans.

The FDA originally approved the use of BPA in food packaging materials back in the 1960s.

How BPA is used
BPA is used to make three and five-gallon bottled water containers stronger and last longer.

It is not used in the production of single-serve bottled water, which are made of PET plastic.

In recent years, activists and the news media have raised questions about the safety of BPA in food contact packaging, particularly when containers are heated.

The recent FDA statement confirmed the overall safety of BPA used in food containers. FDA noted that “standardized toxicity tests have thus far supported the safety of current low levels of human exposure to BPA.”

FDA did, however, state that based on studies “using novel approaches to test for subtle effects,” it has “some concerns” about the potential effects of BPA on infants and young children.

FDA did not take any formal action to prohibit the use of BPA in any food products.

In fact, FDA cautioned against making any changes in food packaging or consumption by either industry or consumers that could jeopardize food safety or reduce intake of food needed for good nutrition.

The FDA statement did not make any specific mention or recommendation regarding polycarbonate bottles used in the home and office sector of the bottled water industry.

But in 2009, Health Canada, which is Canada’s counterpart to FDA, determined that an adult would have to consume approximately 1,000 liters of bottled water (264 gallons) from a polycarbonate container in a single day to reach the Total Daily Intake level for BPA set by Health Canada’s Food Directorate.

The results of Canada’s survey clearly indicate that exposure to BPA through the consumption of bottled water does not pose a health risk to consumers.

FDA is conducting in-depth studies to determine whether BPA poses a health risk to consumers.

IBWA and the bottled water industry support further scientific scrutiny of BPA.

The FDA says it supports reasonable steps to reduced exposure of infants to BPA in the food supply, but labels this step as “preliminary” and as a “precaution.”

The FDA’s statement notes infants are singled out as they are a potentially sensitive population for BPA because their neurological and endocrine systems are still developing and they have a reduced ability to detox and eliminate a substance such as BPA.

Based upon all available scientific evidence, the present consensus among regulatory agencies in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and New Zealand is that the current levels of exposure to BPA through food packaging do not pose an immediate health risk.

Polycarbonate plastic has been the material of choice for food and beverage product containers for nearly 50 years. During that time, many international studies have been conducted to assess the potential for trace levels of BPA to migrate from lined cans or polycarbonate bottles into foods and beverages.

The conclusions from those studies and comprehensive safety evaluations by government bodies worldwide are that polycarbonate bottles are safe for consumer use.