U.S. taking closer look at bisphenol A in plastics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will launch broad new research into the potential health effects of plastics chemical bisphenol A used in baby bottles and other products, health officials said on Friday.

People consume BPA when it leaches from plastic into baby formula, water or food.

Recent studies have shown subtle effects of low doses of BPA in laboratory animals and the new studies will be part of a broader investigation of environmental health risks to children, Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Bill Corr told reporters.

"BPA has not been found or been proven to harm either children or adults but because children ... in the early stages of development are exposed to BPA the data that we''re getting deserves a much closer look," Corr said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also updated its stance on BPA, saying it now supports a 2008 assessment by U.S. government toxicologists that the chemical is cause for "some concern."

"Some concern, means in part, that we need to know more," Deputy FDA Commissioner Josh Sharfstein told reporters.

Sharfstein said the new studies seek to clarify uncertainties about the potential risks of BPA.

The FDA said it was taking "reasonable steps" to reduce BPA in the food supply, including supporting companies that have decided to stop making BPA-containing baby bottles.

The federal government''s animal and human studies will run from 18 months to two years and will be funded by $30 million in economic stimulus money, the health officials said.

RECOMMENDATION TO PARENTS

Corr said while the government is gathering more information, parents should take steps to limit how much BPA young children eat and drink, including tossing scratched baby bottles and cups. Other recommendations were posted on the agency''s website at www.hhs.gov/safety/bpa/.