The US Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday said it sees no reason to tell consumers to stop using products such as baby bottles made with a controversial chemical found in many plastic items. Norris Alderson, the FDA's associate commissioner for science, said although the regulatory agency is reviewing safety concerns about the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, "a large body of available evidence" shows that products such as liquid or food containers made with it are safe.

DEBATE The two issues that remain are whether Dow inherited Union Carbide's liabilities and why the government never cleaned up Bhopal after settling with Carbide Scot Wheeler, Director Communications, Dow Chemicals, Midland, US

An additional sessions judge from Bhalwal has directed the police to register a criminal case against the owners of a chemical factory located on Lahore-Sargodha Road for draining toxic water into a pond that killed five people of a family a few months ago.

  Burning hazardous waste at the BEIL - Drum flying out of the fire     Burning hazardous waste at the BEIL -

On March 28, following a high-powered state committee's report clearing the project, Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh gave Dow Chemical International Pvt Ltd's proposed research and

MPCB"s new consent conditions

• Dow to issue an undertaking that it would not use any chemicals banned by the Indian government

• Install three ambient air quality monitoring stations

The UPA government, it seems, has moved to implement a proposal backed by several key ministers, Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and the Prime Minister's Office that Dow Chemicals' business be facilitated in India even while the government pursues a case against it in the Bhopal gas disaster.

THE Madras High Court has restrained Sri Padma Chemicals Private Limited in Choonambedu village in Kancheepuram district from dumping its chemical waste on the lands outside the factory premises. The First Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice Prabha Sridevan gave the direction on Friday last, while passing interim orders on a public interest writ petition from K Umanath of Thothacherry village. The bench also ordered notice to the authorities concerned returnable by June 9, 2008.