Bisphenol A Reporting Team Is Finalist for Pulitzer

If you've heard of Bisphenol A, the ubiquitous ingredient in plastics that mimics estrogen and has been linked to a host of health concerns, then you have the reporting team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to thank.

Led by Meg Kissinger (left) and Susanne Rust, the newspaper has published a series of influential reports about the harmful and suspect chemicals to which Americans are routinely exposed, and the repeated failure of our government to fairly judge public health risks against the desires of the chemical industry.

Those who have listened closely to environmental, health and consumer watchdogs over the years weren't necessarily surprised by the findings. But the American public was, and that meant our elected officials had to snap to attention.

In a year that will be remembered for the crippling of American newspapers, let it never be forgotten that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel invested in its investigative reporting team, and lo! the people were well-served!

Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporters Meg Kissinger and Susanne Rust were named as finalists for journalism's most cherished prize, an investigative journalism Pulitzer Prize.

The pair has led a long investigation into the health risks and faulty regulation of Bisphenol A and other chemicals. (They are also among The Daily Green's 2009 nominees for a Heart of Green media award: You can read why in the photo caption.)

Bisphenol A is found in the blood of nearly every American tested, and is used to make hard, clear plastics for food containers, dental sealants and the sealants that line food and beverage cans.

As concerns over the chemical have mounted -- largely due to the reporting of the Sentinel reporters over the last year or so -- major retailers and manufacturers like Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Nalgene (also recognized for Heart of Green Award consideration) have vowed to phase out the use of Bisphenol A in children's products. Even Sunoco, one of the chemical's biggest manufacturers, has stopped selling it to companies that might use it in a children's product.

Canada has banned Bisphenol A in many products for babies and young children, and Suffolk County, N.Y., could become the first government in the U.S. to do so. The National Toxicology Program has raised concerns about Bisphenol A's potential to disrupt the normal development of fetuses and babies, and the Environmental Protection Agency has been criticized for failing to consider the cumulative effect of hormone-disrupting chemicals that Americans are routinely exposed to.

For more information about Bisphenol A and the other ubiquitous hormone-disrupting chemical of the moment, phthalates, see The Daily Green's How to Avoid Bisphenol A and Phthalates.

Congratulations Meg and Susanne!

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