A new focus on plastic ingredient in bottles and cans.(Recalls &Safety Alerts)(bisphenol A)

You may never have heard of a chemical called bisphenol A (BPA), but odds are it's circulating in your body. It was in 93 percent of 2,517 Americans age 6 and over, tested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a study that was recently released.

How much exposure is acceptable is at the heart of a new debate over BPA, which is used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics, such as clear, hard water bottles and baby bottles. The chemical is also used in the making of resin coatings for the linings of cans.

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INDUSTRY INFLUENCE

A new report is expected by summer from the U.S. National Toxicology Program, and a congressional committee inquiry is under way into risks of BPA in canned infant formula and how much influence the plastics industry has had over previous research and conclusions.

With widespread use in cans and many plastic containers, the chemical enters the body when it leaches from those containers into food and beverages, although usually at very low levels. That can happen especially when products are heated.

Whether this exposure poses significant risks to human health has been hotly debated. Steven Hentges of the American Chemistry Council, an industry trade group, takes the position that "the weight of scientific evidence clearly supports the safety of BPA."