BPA
The important question is obvious: just exactly how dangerous is BPA? The answer depends who you're asking - Jenny Hollander
image by: DES Daughter
HWN Suggests
Bisphenol A is everywhere – is it safe?
THREE letters lie at the heart of our modern world: BPA. Short for bisphenol A, a synthetic oestrogen, a staggering 3 billion kilograms of the stuff is produced annually, with an estimated value of $500,000 per hour to the global economy.
BPA is used in the production of a hard and transparent form of polycarbonate plastic used to create food and drink containers and other consumer goods. It is also used in the epoxy resins that line metal food cans, and as an ingredient in dental sealants.
In fact, we are so consistently exposed to BPA that over 90 per cent of us excrete BPA metabolites in our urine at any given time. How exactly BPA enters the human body is not yet clear,…
Articles of Interest
BPA is Everywhere - Are We Safe?
BPA remains controversial. BPA is allegedly harmless until it gets in contact with food and drinks and leaches out with potential health risks. If you must use plastic containers, pick BPA free and avoid recycling #3, 6 and 7. Or, better yet, go back to glass bottles!
BPA in Cans and Plastic Bottles Linked to Quick Rise in Blood Pressure
Chronic exposure to BPA, as it is commonly known, has been associated with heart disease, cancer and other health problems. But the new study is among the first to show that a single exposure to the chemical can have a direct and fairly immediate impact on cardiovascular health.
How I discovered a coffee pot was making my patient sick
While we can metabolize and rid our bodies of BPA rapidly, we are so frequently exposed to it in plastic food containers, can liners, and cash register receipts that our levels remain high. In the US, the CDC periodically samples the urine of people participating in NHANES and has found BPA in 92% of those sampled. And lest you think “BPA-free” is the answer, the substitute plastics which contain bisphenol S or other resins appear to be equally hazardous.
How Lobbyists Are Spinning Weak Science to Defend BPA
They're arguing that a new study shows canned foods to be safe, even when lined with BPA. The problem? That's not what the study says.
How Risky, Really, Is That Chemical?
Bisphenol A, phthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers—these barely pronounceable chemicals contaminate the bodies of nearly all American pregnant women. Worse, research suggests that most pass through the placenta and into the bloodstream of developing fetuses. But how scared should expectant parents be?
How to Avoid BPA and Phthalates in Food and Various Household Products
Bisphenol-A (commonly known as BPA) and phthalates (called “everywhere chemicals” because they are so common) are used in making countless plastic products that we see and use everyday. BPA is used in hard, clear plastic, whereas phthalates help make plastic flexible. It is believed that both BPA and phthalates can leach from plastic into food, liquid, and directly into the mouths of children while sucking on pacifiers or teethers.
In Plastics and Cans, a Threat to Women
The accumulating research fuels rising concern among scientists that childhood exposure to BPA may well contribute to female infertility, and that adult exposure may result in a shorter reproductive life span.
Is BPA Really Cancerous?
The important question is obvious: just exactly how dangerous is BPA? The answer depends who you're asking.
Plastic Additive BPA Not Much Of A Threat, Government Study Finds
The chemical BPA isn't living up to its nasty reputation. A two-year government study of rats found that even high doses of the plastic additive produced only "minimal effects," and that these effects could have occurred by chance. The finding bolsters the Food and Drug Administration's 2014 assessment that water bottles and other products containing BPA are not making people sick.
The Chemical Marketplace: Revisiting BPA and PFOA
Of all the persistent environmental contaminants running amok in the chemical marketplace, BPA or bisphenol A has to be one of the more notorious.
The Raging Controversy Over BPA Shows No Signs Of Abating
But that doesn’t mean that the two opposing sides have equal merit.
Why the FDA Doesn't Ban Food Colors, BPA, and Other Chemicals
The difficulty of doing research on low-dose chemicals -- and the food industry's insistence that they're safe -- explains the reluctance to act.
Resources
Facts About BPA
The Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group represents the leading global manufacturers of bisphenol A (BPA) and polycarbonate plastic. For many years the group has sponsored scientific research to understand whether BPA has the potential to cause health or environmental effects and to support scientifically sound policy.
The BPA File
A six-part, comprehensive review of current data demonstrating the safe use of BPA for more than fifty years.
