Marketplace Advocacy Campaigns: Generating Public Support for Bus ...

effects associated with bisphenol A (BPA), a component used to make epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastic. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although standardized toxicity tests have supported the safety of low levels of human exposure to BPA, recent studies testing for subtle effects have led to “some concern” by both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and the FDA about “the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children” (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2010). Though testing to clarify uncertainties about BPA risks is ongoing, the FDA has taken steps in the interim to reduce human exposure in the food supply, including supporting the industry’s actions to stop producing BPA-containing baby bottles, to develop alternatives to BPA linings for infant canned formulas, and to reduce BPA levels in other food can linings (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2010).

By 2010, the Web site for the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council, the sponsor of the “Plastics Make it Possible?” campaign, included a link to a secondary site titled “Facts about BPA.” The “Facts about BPA” site touts the benefits of bisphenol A, and a “Myths and Realities” section addresses consumer concerns about the possible link between BPA and cancer, the possibility that BPA accumulates in the human body, and the potential for BPA migration from plastic containers into food and beverages (American Chemistry Council, 2009).

Another secondary site on the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council’s Web site, titled “Plastic Bag Facts,” promotes plastic grocery bags as an “environmentally responsible choice” (American Chemistry Council, 2010c). During California’s 2010 proposal to ban plastic carryout bags in supermarkets, drug stores, and convenience stores, visitors to the “Plastic Bag Facts” page were encouraged to stop the proposed ban on a page with the headline “What you should know about plastic bags.” Meanwhile, under the “Impact Chemistry” link on the American Chemistry Council’s site, visitors could sign a letter addressed to lawmakers regarding the bill and could e-mail their friends and colleagues about the proposed legislation (American Chemistry Council, 2010a). Though the bill was approved by the California State