Australia stands strong by BPA

By ACSH Staff — Oct 18, 2010
Despite Canada s decision last week to restrict the use of bisphenol-A (BPA) due to its supposed adverse health effects, Australia is sticking to its guns by declaring that the country will continue to enforce the European Union s safe level (600 parts per billion) of BPA exposure.

Despite Canada s decision last week to restrict the use of bisphenol-A (BPA) due to its supposed adverse health effects, Australia is sticking to its guns by declaring that the country will continue to enforce the European Union s safe level (600 parts per billion) of BPA exposure.

Dr. Paul Brent, the chief scientist of Food Standards Australia New Zealand, isn t caving into the pressure of consumer groups to re-review the standards of BPA. [Industry] are convinced as we are that BPA is safe [but because of consumer concern] there is a lot of action going on. The scientific concern has been played up, Dr. Brent said, according to the Brisbane Times.

Boy, you can say that again, seconds ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. Canada acted based on the precautionary principle, which justifies such decisions based not on science, but on consumer concern, which is often a euphemism for activist pressure.