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Friday, February 08, 2008

Uncertainty over Plastics Chemical -- Legitimate or Contrived?

Rep. John Dingell's Energy and Commerce Committee recently began an investigation into the use and safety of bisphenol-A, a chemical commonly found in a host of consumer products including plastic bottles. In a Feb. 6 article, ABC News reporter Justin Rood provides an update on exactly what the committee has been looking into.

According to the article, Dingell is particularly concerned with the work of scientific consultants. The article discusses one of those consultants, the Weinberg Group, which may be designing its scientific research in order to produce conclusions about bisphenol-A that downplay the negative effects of the chemical: "The Weinberg Group may play a role in arranging just the kinds of expert panels and scientific research the chemical industry points to in defense of its products, Dingell suggested."

The charges against the Weinberg Group are similar to those made against Sciences International, a contractor who the National Toxicology Program was paying to investigate the effects of bisphenol-A on reproductive health. (More on that here.) The Weinberg Group is not listed as a recipient of federal contracts or grants, according to FedSpending.org.

The scientific uncertainty surrounding bisphenol-A for years has prevented meaningful government intervention. Not only has use of the chemical gone unabated in consumer products, the public is in the dark as to which consumer products might contain bisphenol-A and what the ramifications might be.

At the very least, the public deserves to know the full set of facts about bisphenol-A and the companies who use it.