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In July, I wrote a blog on TownHall.com about Bisphenol A (BPA) in which I brought to your attention the behavior of many major media outlets with regard to their accusations against BPA, which is a chemical used to make lightweight, versatile, durable, high-performance plastics. In that piece I identified that contrary to those that claim that BPA is dangerous and hazardous to all, new research was telling an opposite story: … After years of hand-wringing, biased media reports and witch hunts about BPA -- a new Statistical Assessment Service (STATS) report out of George Mason University (a non profit, non partisan group) has found that the risks were misleading and caused unnecessary public anxiety. As the report noted, "A handful of scientists and environmental activist groups claim that bisphenol A is the biological equivalent of global warming, and its presence in plastic bottles and can linings is endangering “millions of babies.” Their message – and their accusation that the Food and Drug Administration has been swayed by industry-sponsored studies and has ignored vital scientific evidence – has led Congress to ask the agency to re-examine the safety of the chemical. A decision is expected by the end of the summer." ... Of course, if someone claims your product harms babies, they don't really need to prove it. The accusation is so incendiary that the mere suggestion could bankrupt most companies -- which, of course, is the point if you are trying to sell a "safer" plastic product. In short, it's a "scare racket"… And yet, many popular media outlets continue to baselessly attack BPA as a dangerous and unsafe chemical.
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