The National Toxicology Program begs to differ with the Food and Drug Administration’s recent conclusion that common chemical bisphenol A is safe at currently regulated levels. In a report released Wednesday, the NTP notes “some concern” that BPA can affect children’s brains and reproductive systems. The agency made the same conclusion in a draft report in April, which caused enough outcry to make companies including Nalgene and Wal-Mart back away from BPA. The NTP’s final report says further study is needed and suggests that concerned parents consider limiting their family’s exposure to BPA, but does not recommend altering U.S. safety standards at this point. “There remains considerable uncertainty whether the changes seen in the animal studies are directly applicable to humans, and whether they would result in clear adverse health effects,” says NTP’s John Bucher. “But we have concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed.”
