Bisphenol A in the News

Research on hospitalized premature infants shows high bispenol A (BPA) levels

Researchers from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention analyzed BPA levels in urine samples collected from premature babies receiving care at two US hospitals. The researchers found BPA in all urine samples measured. Average BPA concentration in these premature babies was high — approximately 10 times higher than previously reported for adults and twice as high as children between 6-11 years old. Read the synopsis on this study in Environmental Health News.

Why should we be concerned?

The study indicates that plastic medical devices are a significant source of BPA exposure for premature babies. The early born infants represent a subpopulation that is at high risk of being exposed during critical life stages. This study’s findings show that premature babies (already born with developmental and physiological limitations) are further challenged by exposure to a compound known to negatively impact health.

Other study finds that BPA lingers in our bodies

Dr. Richard Stahlhut of the University of Rochester and colleagues looked at levels of BPA in the urine of 1,469 U.S. adults who took part in a government health survey. The researchers tracked how urine levels of BPA declined based on the length of time a person had fasted. But they found that people who fasted for 8.5 hours, for example, had about the same BPA levels as those who fasted 24 hours. That is, BPA was not found to leave the body as quickly as originally thought.

Why should we be concerned?

"If it leaves the body quickly, then it reduces the amount of time when it can cause problems. If it does cause problems, obviously if it stays around much longer, then that changes the game," Stahlhut, whose study appears in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, said in a telephone interview.

Background on BPA

BPA is used in many food and beverage containers, the coating of food cans and some medical devices. It mimics the hormone estrogen in the body. Adults and children consume it when it leaches from plastic into baby formula, water or food in a container.

BPA has been linked to spikes in breast cancer, diabetes and heart disease, even at very low levels. It has also been found to interfere with chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

Link to guide by HEAL & Friends of the Earth Europe - BPA in Plastics: Is it making us sick? (pdf)