Hearings fail to decide BPA's fate

WASHINGTON (CNN) - After a day of hearings held Friday at the Food and Drug Administration, the fate of bisphenol A, a compound extensively used in food and beverage containers, remained undecided.

According to the agency, current permissible levels of exposure to BPA pose no immediate health risks to the general public, including infants and babies.

But a subcommittee composed of experts and charged by the agency's Science Board to review that assessment released a 17-page report this week critical of that conclusion. "The margins of safety defined by FDA as adequate are not adequate," said Martin Philbert, chairman of the seven-member subcommittee and professor of toxicology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

In addition to being used to make hard, clear plastic water bottles and baby bottles, BPA is contained in the linings of food cans and soft drink cans. Animal studies show that BPA may mimic estrogen, advancing the onset of puberty and increasing the risk of cancer.