Cutting Through the BPA Danger Hype

In “Government’s Unfounded War on BPA,” a paper released today by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), author Angela Logomasini explains how the taxpayer-funded scare campaign over the chemical BPA threatens consumer interest and safety. The paper examines the sources of funding, policy implications, and state of BPA science to show that the United States government should stop funding BPA research to prevent headlines and hype that are not founded on good science.

“After more than five decades of use, there are no verified cases of anyone suffering ill effects from BPA exposure from consumer products,” said author Logomasini, a senior fellow at CEI. “The most cited research studies on BPA focus on activism rather than applying the best scientific principles. Using taxpayer dollars to fund this type of activism is wrong and must stop.”   

172 million tax dollars were dedicated to BPA research between 2010 and 2014. These government-funded alarmist studies on BPA have both public policy and market impacts, including government bans and “voluntary” phase-outs of useful products by businesses that want to avoid negative publicity. Such restrictions on the use of BPA plastics put all of its benefits—recyclability, reusability, energy efficiency, and durability—at risk.

To read “Government’s Unfounded War on BPA” click here. For more background on Angela Logomasini, click here.