Is bisphenol A really a concern?

Whether or not you have heard this bit of news these past days, the graph you see above tells a lot about the presence of a chemical called bisphenol A or BPA, for short, in canned goods and hard clear plastic bottles. A recent study by Iain Lang and colleagues published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on 17 September 2008, reported that of 1,400 people between the age of 18 to 74 studied, those with the highest level of BPA in their urine have twice the risk of getting diabetes and three times the risk of getting heart disease. However, the findings that will be reported in this study is still in its preliminary stage and therefore, analysis to the data at hand will still be made.

BPA is pharmacologically classified as an "endocrine disruptor." This means that it mimics the effect of hormones found in the body and is thought to result to adverse effects in the body's reproductive and endocrine systems. The effects of bisphenol seen in animal studies included the risk of developing uterine fibroids, endometriosis, reduced sperm count, and cancers of the breast and prostate.

In 1998, the US Environmental Protection Agency or EPA gave the safe level of human exposure to BPA to not more than 50 mcg/kg/day. However, in this issue of JAMA, the editors criticized the USFDA for basing the acceptable level to "outdated methods" and "insensitive assays."

On the other hand, the American Chemical Council commented that the study cannot support a conclusion that bisphenol can cause disease because of its inherent limitations and that "the weight of scientific evidence continues to support the conclusion of governments worldwide that bisphenol A is not a significant health concern at the trace levels present in some consumer products."

So, as of now, the debate continues. However, if you're thinking of limiting your exposure to this chemical, the US News and World Report gave five tips to keep that BPA away from your family. Click here for these tips.

More information can be seen in the following links:

• Wikipedia on bisphenol
• Bisphenol A website, a comprehensive resource for environmental, health, and safety information related to the chemical