Bisphenol A is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins.  It is commonly found in plastic bottles, milk container and canned food linings, and dental sealants.

In 2008, several red flags were raised about BPA: 

1. Canada proposed to ban BPA,
2. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) proposed legislation to ban BPA from baby bottles, and
3. The US Dept of Health announced concern over BPA’s health impacts which led to the FDA revisiting the issue.

In August 2008, the FDA reaffirmed the safety of BPA although it came under harsh criticism for its deliberations.  The FDA made its ruling based on two studies funded by the American Chemistry Council and in turn ignored dozens of studies by the National Institutes of Health, the National Toxicology Program, and others who found evidence of BPA having negative impacts on health.

Throughout 2008, law suits have been filed in several states questioning the safety of BPA, and in response to the studies indicating that BPA is a health risk, major retailers  such as Toys R Us and Wal-Mart will no longer stock baby bottles containing BPA.  Also,Nalgene, maker of the popular sports bottle, announced that it will stop using BPA in its plastic products.

Dangers of BPA
BPA is a potent neural, developmental, and reproductive toxicant, with the ability to impact fetal and infant development in a variety of ways. Studies have linked exposure to extremely low doses of BPA to increased risk of breast and prostate cancer, impaired immune function, obesity, diabetes, early onset of puberty, hyperactivity, aneuploidy, and other disorders. 

As You Sow’s activities: Investor Letter

In 2007, As You Sow, along with several shareholder groups, sent letters to 14 companies raising health concerns regarding their continued use of BPA in food packaging and particularly its use for lining food cans and sports water bottles. We asked the companies if they sell any food products in packages containing BPA, if they had performed leaching studies to determine whether BPA is migrating from the packaging into the food, if they had explored alternatives to BPA, and if they have plans to phase out the use of bisphenol A in product packaging.

General Mills: As You Sow, other shareholders, and health experts held a dialogue with the senior management of General Mills regarding its use of BPA in food packaging. The dialogue focused on new scientific studies identifying additional health concerns, the role of industry trade associations in lobbying on this issue, and resulted in the company exploring possible alternatives to BPA such as those used in Japan.