From ConsumerAffairs.com:

Although parents, consumer groups and many retailers are shunning bisphenol A — commonly called BPA — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has once again asserted that the chemical is safe.

BPA is a "hardening agent," widely used in baby bottles, canned food and other consumer products. It acts as both a seal to keep contaminants out of canned goods and makes plastics shatterproof.

Its defenders say it makes modern life safer, especially for infants. Its detractors say babies would be safer without it.

The FDA has previously found that the substance was not cause for concern. And now, after revisiting the question, it has come to the same conclusion. An outside committee of experts will study the FDA's latest findings in September and issue recommendations. But that's not likely to settle the question.

Dozens of state and national environmental health organizations in the U.S. and Canada are calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of bisphenol A in baby bottles and other food and beverage containers; they say studies show that the chemical leaches from popular plastic baby bottles when heated.

Canada plans to ban its use in baby bottles. California, New Jersey and other states are considering bills that would restrict its use. And many retailers are shying away from products containing BPA.

Wal-Mart says it plans to drop baby bottles that contain it and Toys R Us is considering a similar move.

Concern about BPA began to grow after a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that trace amounts of the chemical could be found in 93 percent of Americans. But the FDA insists that the trace amounts are thousands of times below dangerous levels.

Dow Chemical, Bayer and other large chemical companies produce more than six million pounds of BPA in the United States each year. Critics charge the FDA has gotten too cozy with industry and relies too extensively on industry-financed studies.

In testimony before a Senate subcommittee earlier this year, FDA Associate Commissioner for Science Norris Alderson said the agency is relying on a "large body of scientific evidence" that shows the chemical can safely be used in plastics that hold food and beverages.

But critics say there are plenty of studies that have, at the very least, raised questions about potential health problems in laboratory animals exposed to BPA. A study by the federal National Toxicology Program found "some concern" about the chemical's use in baby products.