PR Isn't the Problem

The "holy grail" for food packagers and chemical industry lobbyists was a pregnant woman endorsing bisphenol A, according to a Journal Sentinel Watchdog report.

Good luck with that.

No doubt, the controversial chemical BPA needs a makeover of its image, but no amount of shilling will change certain facts:

— Dozens of independent studies over the years have linked the chemical to a variety of ailments in laboratory animals, including cancer. The government in recent years ignored those studies and focused on ones funded by industry that found the chemical to be safe.

— An increasing number of lawmakers believe BPA is a risk. Canada has banned it from baby bottles. In May, Minnesota became the first state and Chicago the first city to ban the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups containing BPA. Bans are being considered in Michigan, Maine, Connecticut and California.

— Bills are under consideration in Congress to ban the chemical in food packaging, and new Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg says she expects to have a decision on the chemical in weeks.

Meanwhile, a House committee is asking Hamburg to re-examine the agency's relationship with industry groups.

Congress should ban the chemical — at least for products intended for children. Because BPA is used in a variety of products from dental sealants to the linings of metal cans, it might be difficult to ban it immediately in all products. But lawmakers could get around that by giving the industry a transition period, setting a date certain for a total ban.

Journal Sentinel reporters Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger reported Saturday that food-packaging executives and lobbyists met at a swanky club in Washington to agree on a PR strategy. Using a pregnant woman to vouch for the chemical's safety was one idea. This behavior is reminiscent of how the tobacco industry long denied the obvious. And strangely, industry leaders can't seem to understand why the public is skeptical of studies touting BPA's safety that are paid for by the industry.

Perhaps it's time for chemical makers and packagers to spend more time looking for ways to improve the safety of their products and less time looking for ways to dress them up in a PR campaign.

That might be something the public could get behind.

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