FDA to Rule on BPA Ban by March

Agency agrees to deadline as part of lawsuit settlement

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 8, 2011 1:57 PM CST

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FDA to Rule on BPA Ban by March — The FDA is poised to make a decision on BPA. (Shutterstock)

The FDA will finally make a firm decision about whether to ban BPA by March 31, thanks to a lawsuit settlement. The Natural Resources Defense Council called on the agency to ban the controversial chemical in 2008, but the FDA didn't take action within the time required by law; that prompted the NRDC's suit, the Washington Post reports. The US is spending $30 million to investigate the reported harmful effects of the chemical.

But the NRDC says the time for research has passed. "We welcome more science, but there comes a point when you have enough information to make a decision, and in this case, we think that point passed years ago," says a rep for the council. The FDA will base its decision on the NRDC's 2008 petition, it says; that filing points to research suggesting BPA can cause cancer, harm reproductive health, and cause childhood behavioral issues. (Read more FDA stories.)