News Coverage
Industry Lobbyists Devised Strategy To Protect Use of BPA
Groups Hope to Block Ban of Chemical
Published May 31, 2009
Internal documents from Industry strategy meeting
Manufacturers of cans for beverages and foods and some of their biggest customers, including Coca-Cola, are trying to devise a public relations and lobbying strategy to block government bans of a controversial chemical used in the linings of metal cans and lids.
According to internal notes of a private meeting, obtained by The Washington Post, frustrated industry executives huddled for hours Thursday trying to figure out how to tamp down public concerns over the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA. The notes said the executives are particularly concerned about the views of young mothers, who often make purchasing decisions for households and who are most likely to be focused on health concerns.
Richard Wiles of the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization that wants BPA banned, said the meeting notes struck a familiar chord. "The BPA industry has adopted the tactics of tobacco and asbestos -- when they had no science to make their case, they resorted to scare tactics and public relations," he said. "It seems pretty desperate."
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