"What’s the plastics industry to do,” Plasteurope.com asked rhetorically in 2010, commenting on the debate over the possible health hazards of polycarbonate feedstock bisphenol A – see Plasteurope.com of 21.01.2010. Two-and-a half years later, the answer seems clear: the FDA’s job. This is perhaps the only way to interpret the latest farce in the absurdly prolonged discussion.

The jury is still out on whether or not BPA is an endocrine disrupter. But money spent on further tests for BPA-containing plastics for food applications might as well be thrown down the drain. If the myriad of studies, both independent and industry-backed, have not delivered a verdict, public opinion has, and the industry is responding proactively. Why else would the American Chemistry Council recommend to the public health watchdog that BPA be officially banished from infant feeding bottles and sippy cups?

What does a multi-billion dollar industry have to gain by leading a public health agency to water? It looks like the tail wagging the dog. But as we suggested in 2010, it sharpens the industry’s image as part of the solution rather than the problem. Polycarbonate manufacturers have come to realise that their livelihood will not rise and fall on sales of feeding bottles and cups to rightfully cautious new parents. After all, there are many, far more innovative, applications for this versatile plastic

Score a victory for a concerned public and one for plastics industry companies paying more than lip service to the concept of responsible care. Score nothing for the bureaucrats at the FDA.

Dede Williams