WASHINGTON—Low doses of bisphenol A (BPA) do not cause developmental changes in test animals, according to results of a new study conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
FDA researchers examined rats for a number of developmental indicators, including behavior and hormone levels, and confirmed previous findings that BPA exposure does not have an effect. For the study, they mothers and newborn rats were fed a diet rich in BPA. Researchers reviewed birth and body weights and key developmental functions such as latency, hormonal change, and brain weights. They found none of the newborn rats were affected by BPA exposure.
“This latest work by FDA researchers confirms the findings of the best available science on early childhood exposures to BPA—oral exposures do not alter development," said Dr. John Rost, Chairman of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. (NAMPA). “Perhaps as important as the developmental findings is the confirmation that Sprague-Dawley rats are extremely sensitive to BPA. Studies using these rats have been criticized by some groups, despite the lack of science to support their claims. The study demonstrates that these rats are an appropriate test subject and previous findings are sound."
