The Food and Drug Administration has rejected a petition that would have banned the plastic-hardening chemical bisphenol-A from all food and drink packaging, including plastic bottles and canned food, it was announced Friday.
The agency said that petitioners did not present compelling scientific evidence to justify new restrictions on BPA.
The National Resources Defense Council petitioned the FDA to ban BPA as a food additive, including all uses in food or beverage packaging, to "protect consumers from the health effects of BPA."
Physiologically, BPA mimics the hormone estrogen and some scientists believe it can be harm to reproductive and nervous systems. In addition, about 90% of Americans have traces of BPA in their bodies, according to the Endocrine-Related Cancer Journal.
However, recent studies by government researchers suggest it's very unlikely that BPA poses a health risk to people, according to reports.
When the FDA failed to respond within the required timeframe, the environmental group sued the agency. Last December, a federal judge ruled that the agency had to respond by the end of March.
