As FDA Decision on Ban Nears, Campbells Says It Will Remove BPA

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With the Food and Drug Administration expected to decide by the end of this month on whether to ban the use of Bisphenl A in food and beverage packaging, Campbell's Soup has indicated it will remove the controversial chemical from its cans. BPA is commonly thought of as an ingredient of hard plastics, but it is also used in the lining of cans, including not only canned foods, but also beverage cans.

Though the timing isn't certain, the move is a big development in the long-running story about BPA. Linked to a number of health concerns, and with a growing body of independent research piling up, Campbell's joins many manufacturers and retailers of baby and toddler products, along with more progressive companies like Eden Organic. Whether the FDA backs off its generally unbroken support of the industry position, that the chemical is safe, remains to be seen.

The FDA decision is expected by March 31, thanks to a settlement with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which petitioned in 2008 to ask the FDA to ban BPA.

Studies, mostly in laboratories, but some in humans, suggest BPA's similarity to the human hormone estrogen could make it a surprisingly potent health risk even at low doses. Just as hormones, the body's chemical messengers, act on the body's organs and systems at low doses, the argument goes, so do so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA. Studies have linked exposure to a range of health problems ranging from obesity to reproductive problems.

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