Bisphenol A: A Chemical with Deep-Pocketed Friends

The same month that Martin Philbert was named the chair of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel considering the safety of bisphenol A, a defender of the chemical made a $5 million grant to Philbert's research center. "Philbert did not disclose the donation, which is nearly 25 times larger than the $210,000 annual budget of the University of Michigan Risk Science Center, where he is founder and co-director," reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The donor, Charles Gelman, was once called "the second worst polluter in Michigan by the state's Department of Natural Resources." Gelman, a retired manufacturer of medical devices, is an "anti-regulation activist" who supports JunkScience.com, the Cato Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Philbert said the donation would not impact his work. Bisphenol A is present in many household products, including aluminum cans, baby bottles and water bottles. Most studies on bisphenol A have linked the chemical to cancer, heart disease and reproductive failures in lab animals; "those that didn't find harm overwhelmingly were paid for by the chemical industry." Philbert's panel is expected to announce its findings soon.