How safe are plastic bags or containers?

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic, a clear, hard type of plastic. Controversy about it has flared up again recently. Here is the source of the concern:

In rats scientists have found BPA imitates the sex hormone estradiol. This has prompted scientists to test the substance upon laboratory rats and mice. As a result, they have discovered that even low doses of BPA can cause hyperactivity, increased formation of fat, early onset of puberty, abnormal sexual behavior, disruption to normal reproductive cycles, and structural damage to the brain.

Besides being found in various types of plastic containers. BPA is also found in the linings of soda cans. In fact, epoxy resins containing bisphenol A are used to line nearly all metal food cans. Some polymers used in dental fillings and sealants also contain bisphenol A. It gets released when you wash or heat it or expose it to acids (fruit juices or colas are acidic).

It's been around for a long time. But in the last couple years, there has been some action:

• Canada's largest outdoor-goods chain, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) pulled products made of polycarbonate plastic from its shelves in 2007 due to concerns about bisphenol A. Patagonian this action.
• The City of San Francisco actually banned its use in products intended for infants, but then repealed the ban in 2007.
• Health Canada is investigating polycarbonates as part of its Challenge to Industry Program, calling for product information from manufacturers and distributors.
• In January 2006, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment announced that polycarbonate baby bottles are safe, stating that published research is "difficult to interpret and [is] occasionally contradictory."
  
• A subsequent study by the European Union’s Food Safety Authority reached a similar conclusion, and sharply criticized the methodology used in many of the low-dose exposure studies on rodents.

Comment: This stuff is really hard to avoid. I must say I find it somewhat reassuring that these European agencies have looked into it and not found it to be unsafe.

Because I have far more confidence in the European regulators than their industry-dominated American counterparts. Moreover, the EU has generally taken a tough stand on the regulation of toxic chemicals.

Sources: Pristine Planet, Wikipedia, Ottawa Citizen.