Doctoral Dissertation Research: Plastics, politics and production: The Political Economy of Bisphenol A

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This dissertation improvement project, funded by the Science and Society Program, explores the history of the molecule bisphenol A as a means for examining the political, economic and scientific changes that shaped society and science in the last five decades in the United States. Used in plastics production and known to mimic the natural hormone estrogen, bisphenol A is an economically vital and scientifically controversial chemical that by the 1990s was ubiquitous in the environment. This research traces the rise of bisphenol A's economic success and scientific controversy from the late 1950s up to the present. It discusses how the plastics industry association, federal agencies, research institutions and environmental advocacy organizations shaped chemical policies, markets and scientific knowledge, and how the often contentious relationship among these individuals and institutions informed understandings of risk, toxicity and safety. The methods employed in this research include document analysis of archival collections, oral history and interviews. The archive collections for this research include the following: the papers of the Society of the Plastics Industry at Hagley Library and Museum, a private collection of the papers of Theo Colborn, and the papers of the Manufacturing Chemists Association. An oral history with Theo Colborn and interviews with researchers studying bisphenol A provide contemporary insight into the development of knowledge about the chemical's toxicity and mechanisms of action over the past fifteen years. In addition, this research includes document review of published scientific papers, trade journals, newspapers, government reports and Congressional hearings. This research proposes to advance knowledge in the history of science and society through its unique focus on a specific chemical as it entered markets, shaped scientific knowledge, informed regulations, and transformed the molecular environment in which we live. This history makes visible the molecular environment and ties its narrative to the broader political, economic and environmental changes during the period after the establishment of chemical regulations, the rise of a globalized economy and a shift towards free market economics and deregulation. As such, this work contributes to a broader intellectual inquiry into the implications and affects of the post-war chemical revolution on society and science. Central to the scientific debates about bisphenol A's toxicity is the battle to claim authority over scientific knowledge. In order to untangle the competing claims of truth and scientific legitimacy, this historical study explains to a scientific and lay audience alike, how knowledge developed over time within a specific political and economic context. With possible legislation for a ban of bisphenol A in California, and several relevant archival collections closing to the public, this research is incredibly timely. Research findings will be disseminated in multiple forms including the dissertation, a series of brownbag discussions with advocacy groups concerned about bisphenol A, and participation in an interdisciplinary roundtable discussion about the impacts of ubiquitous chemicals like bisphenol A on the political, social, environmental and economic development of the United States.