WASHINGTON - With scientists at odds about the risks of a
chemical found in plastic baby bottles, metal cans and other
food packaging, the government on Tuesday gave consumers some
tips on how to reduce their exposure to BPA even as it said the
substance is safe. A Food and Drug Administration advisory
committee met as a major study linked bisphenol A to possible
risks of heart disease and diabetes. The scientific debate could
drag on for years. "Right now, our tentative conclusion is that
it's safe, so we're not recommending any change in habits," said
Laura Tarantino, head of the FDA's office of food additive
safety. But she acknowledged, "there are a number of things
people can do to lower their exposure." For example, consumers
can avoid plastic containers imprinted with the recycling number
'7,' as many of those contain BPA. Or, Tarantino said, they can
avoid warming food in such containers, as heat helps to release
the chemical. More than 90 percent of Americans have traces of
BPA in their bodies, but t