WP: Strategy Being Devised To Protect Use of BPA

[Guest guest]

Strategy Being Devised To Protect Use of BPA

Groups Hope to Block Ban of Chemical

By Lyndsey Layton

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, May 31, 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/30/AR2009053002121.\

html?wpisrc=newsletter

Manufacturers of cans for beverages and foods and some of their biggest

customers, including Coca-Cola, are trying to devise a public relations and

lobbying strategy to block government bans of a controversial chemical used in

the linings of metal cans and lids.

According to internal notes of a private meeting, obtained by The Washington

Post, frustrated industry executives huddled for hours Thursday trying to figure

out how to tamp down public concerns over the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA. The

notes said the executives are particularly concerned about the views of young

mothers, who often make purchasing decisions for households and who are most

likely to be focused on health concerns.

Those at the meeting held at the Cosmos Club " believe a balance of legislative

and grassroots outreach [to mothers 21 to 35 years old and students] is

imperative to the stability of their industry; however, the association members

continue to struggle to initiate research and develop a clear-cut plan to defend

their industry, " an unidentified participant wrote.

Industry representatives weighed a range of ideas, including " using fear tactics

[e.g. " Do you want to have access to baby food anymore? " as well as giving

control back to consumers (e.g. you have a choice between the more expensive

product that is frozen or fresh or foods packaged in cans) as ways to dissuade

people from choosing BPA-free packaging, " the notes said.

The attendees estimated it would cost $500,000 to craft a message for a public

relations campaign, according to the notes. " Their 'holy grail' spokesperson

would be a 'pregnant young mother who would be willing to speak around the

country about the benefits of BPA,' " the notes said.

Those in attendance said the mainstream media are ignoring their side of the

controversy, and attendees talked about how the group is focusing on

" legislative battles and befriending people that are able to manipulate the

legislative process, " the document said.

Kathleen M. , a lobbyist with Bergeson and for the North

American Metal Packaging Alliance, which represents makers of metal cans and

their customers, organized Thursday's meeting and confirmed the accuracy of the

notes. She said her members are concerned about bills pending in state

legislatures as well as on Capitol Hill that would restrict or eliminate the use

of BPA in metal cans. She said BPA is a safe compound that has been tarred by

activist groups and that consumers do not fully appreciate its importance.

" We had discussions about whether people really understand what the

ramifications would be if BPA were eliminated and alternatives aren't in place, "

said. " Everything was on the table, it was a brainstorming session, and

no particular decisions have been made. "

A commercial alternative to BPA does exist; Japan has significantly reduced its

use of BPA in many canned goods. acknowledged that alternatives are

available but not for all uses currently in the marketplace.

Wiles of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that

wants BPA banned, said the meeting notes struck a familiar chord. " The BPA

industry has adopted the tactics of tobacco and asbestos -- when they had no

science to make their case, they resorted to scare tactics and public

relations, " he said. " It seems pretty desperate. "

Bisphenol A, used in commerce since the 1950s, is added to plastics to give them

strength. It is found in hundreds of household products, including plastic

bottles and food containers. It is also present in the linings of canned goods

such as soup, baby formula and canned fruits and vegetables.

Over the past decade, a growing body of scientific studies has linked the

chemical to breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, hyperactivity, obesity,

low sperm count, miscarriage and other reproductive problems in laboratory

animals. More recent studies using human data have linked BPA to heart disease

and diabetes. And it has been found to interfere with the effects of

chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

Researchers have found that BPA leaches from containers into food and beverages,

even at cold temperatures. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health

published earlier this month found that subjects who drank liquids from plastic

bottles containing BPA had a 69 percent increase in the BPA in their urine.

Despite more than 100 published studies by government scientists and university

laboratories that have raised health concerns about the chemical, the Food and

Drug Administration has deemed it safe largely because of two studies, both

funded by a chemical industry trade group.

The FDA's position on BPA runs counter to a report by another federal agency,

the National Toxicology Program, which found " some concern " that BPA may cause

developmental problems in the brains and hormonal systems of children. And last

fall, the FDA's own scientific advisory board criticized agency officials for

relying on industry-funded studies to declare the chemical safe.

Canada banned the use of BPA in baby bottles in 2008. The six biggest baby

bottle manufacturers in the United States have agreed not to use the chemical.

Earlier this month, Chicago became the first city in the nation to ban BPA from

baby bottles and sippy cups, and half a dozen states have similar legislation

pending. On Capitol Hill, several bills would prohibit bisphenol A in all food

and beverage containers.

Meanwhile, the FDA, under the leadership of a new commissioner, Margaret

Hamburg, is conducting a new review of the science surrounding BPA.

__________________________________________________________

From Comments

So if you're disgusted by these steps, and the idea of a campaign based upon

" fear tactics " with a pregnant young mother as a BPA spokesperson, contact the

member companies of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance: AkzoNobel,

Alcoa, American Beverage Association, Ball Corporation, Can Corporation of

America, Can Manufacturers Institute, The Coca-Cola Company, Crown Corporation,

The Dow Chemical Company, H. J. Heinz, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc.,

Huntsman LLC, INX International Ink Co., Novelis, PPG Industries, Inc., Silgan

Containers Corporation, Valspar Packaging Americas and Standard Company.