BPA linked to heart disease and diabetes, study says
By Elizabeth Cooney, Globe Correspondent
A ubiquitous chemical used in some plastic bottles and food packaging is linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and signs of liver damage in adults, the first large study of bisphenol A in humans has found.
Fears of BPA's health effects cleared hard plastic baby and water bottles from store shelves and kitchen cupboards this spring after a federal agency concluded that tiny amounts of the chemical might harm fetuses, babies, and small children, based on a review of animal studies. Low levels of BPA are detectable in 90 percent of the US population, who come in contact with the chemical through a variety of routes: when they drink water, have dental sealants, inhale household dust, or get it on their skin.
BPA is used to line most canned goods, from soups to soft drinks, to prevent corrosion. It helps make sunglasses and compact discs durable. And it strengthens virtually all transparent, light-weight, hard plastic bottles.
Today's study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, released early to coincide with a US Food and Drug Administration hearing this morning, finds evidence for broader concern in adults.
Researchers led by Iain A. Lang of Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England, analyzed urine levels of BPA among 1,455 American adults, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004. Higher levels of BPA in urine were associated with the form of chest pain called angina, coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and type 2 diabetes.
When the researchers divided the study participants into four groups based on BPA levels, people in the quartile with the highest BPA amounts had almost three times the risk of having cardiovascular disease compared with people in the lowest quartile. For type 2 diabetes, the highest quartile had almost two and a half times the risk compared with those in the lowest quartile.
High BPA levels were also correlated with abnormal levels of three liver enzymes, which can be a sign of liver damage. Some other common conditions, such as cancer, asthma, and arthritis, did not appear to be associated with BPA.
"This is a striking finding but not that surprising," Dr. David Ozonoff, professor of environmental health at Boston University School of Public Health, said in an interview. He was not involved in the study. "This is what we would have expected to see based on animal work."
Because the study looked only at a snapshot -- random urine samples -- it cannot make a direct cause-and-effect connection between BPA and the illnesses it turned up. Longer studies following people to see what happens to their health after exposure to BPA need to be done to answer those questions, the authors write.
But that doesn't mean the FDA should wait before it acts, Ozonoff said, criticizing the agency's methods for determining the safety of synthetic compounds such as BPA, which is an estrogen mimic. While the FDA tests high levels of the chemicals, hormone-like substances can exert effects in minuscule amounts.
"This is really a red flag," he said. "A change in policy should have come before now. If you want to hit them on the head, this is a good two-by-four to do it with."
In an editorial appearing with the JAMA paper, Frederick S. vom Saal and John Peterson Myers of of the University of Missouri also say the FDA's testing guidelines for environmental chemicals are outdated and urge the agency to act.
"The study by Lang et al., while preliminary with regard to these diseases in humans, should spur US regulatory agencies to follow the recent action taken by Canadian regulatory agencies, which have declared BPA a 'toxic chemical' requiring aggressive action to limit human and environmental exposures," they write.
wHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSEDTO DO? i CAN'T DRINK THE DREK THAT COMES FROM THE KITCHEN FAUCET, IT LOOKS LIKE COFFEE ALREADY. - i NEED TO DRINK WATER BUT CAN'T CARRY HEAVY GLASS BOTTLES. wHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO? jUMP INTO pOLAND sPRINGS, IF THERE IS SUCH A PLACE?
C A ROL, Try re-using one of those poland springs #1 PETE bottles. I beleive they do not contain this chemical.
You go buy a BPA -free water bottle (Nalgene makes them now) and buy a water filter for your tap water.
Hey C A ROL - This chemical is only in the hard plastic bottle... like Baby Bottles... not the soft plastic that bottled water comes in. You could, however, get water filter. It will save you lots of money and give you better water than bottles.
There are many drinking vessels on the market that do not have BPA in them.
I for one use Kleen Kanteens.
Definately try to avoid all products that have BPA or that you suspect have BPA. While this is not easy by any means, some retailers specialize in offering products that are not only BPA free but also free of other known harmful chemicals. One of these sites is www.greenhealthybaby.com .
WOW! Another chemical that turns out to be harmful to us? What a SHOCK! Just another example of the companies making this stuff putting profits first and our well being second, if it's even on the list at all. And another shock, the FDA isn't protecting us. They're already in bed with all these petro-chemical and drug companies.
Yes, and this is the direct result of electing regulating-phobic Republicans...the FDA is unlikely to be proactive about protecting us whenBush is busy appointing business-first cronies to head the agency.
Keep in mind that this study determined an association between the level of the chemical in peoples blood and there risk of other conditions. It did NOT identify the source of the chemical or in any way suggest how the people with the high levels of the chemical got that way.
It would be a mistake to jump from the conclusion of this study to make decisions about products to buy or use. This study gives no basis for doing that. If you want to toss out your old Nalgene bottles, go ahead, but not because there is any evidence that they will hurt you.
Alternatively, consider that when you put water in your refillable water bottle, it may sit there for a few hours or maybe days? But the canned fruit or vegetables that people eat have been sitting in a wharehouse and on a store shelf for weeks or months. It IS known that this chemical leaches from a container to the contents very slowly, so it seems reasonable to me that people with high levels of the chemical more likely got it from canned food than a water bottle.
But thats just speculation, like all the rest of this!
Let me guess -- the class action suit is next. The chemical companies will get a stiff slap on the wrist, and basically write a multi-million dollar to check to whatever lawyers manage to land this prizewinning sailfish of a suit, and we'll all get a check for 30 cents that says I can never ever sue when we die from this crap, because they've already been "punished".
And then the chemical company will come out with BPB, the new Miracle Compound...repeat in 20 years...ad infinitum.
I'm depressed. Which company makes the best antidepressant?
Lauren, how much clearer does JAMA need to be? Avoid it, avoid it, avoid it. Other countries have already outlawed the use of this chemical. Wake up!
Oh whah! Another thing that can hurt me! Now I'm going to eat my 4 cheeseburgers... Get over it. You're going to die someday!
Yet another reason to drink beer instead of water, except if that beer came in a can. Everyone should get a kegg-erator for home use
I just spent a month conducting my own "amateur consumer research" in order to find a way around using plastic bottles.
Glass Bottles: There's a brand of bottled water called "Voss" and it comes in small, glass flasks that actually fit into your bag / purse / briefcase / cup holders. If your local grocer carries it, it costs $2 per bottle, but once you buy that one bottle you can potentially reuse it 10,000 times or until it breaks. www.vosswater.com
I don't work for Voss, and I don't exactly condone buying ALL of your bottled water from them because it's imported from Norway. If you're concerned about your carbon footprint, then drinking all Voss water is like driving 5 Escalades to and from work everyday. But you can spend $20 on 10 bottles of Voss and then have your own fleet of reusable water bottles vs. buying that one Sigg bottle that everyone has.
I am a retired chemist who has, working in my basement, developed a Near Zero V.O.C., near 100% N.V., liquid container coating, FDA 21 CFR 175.300 compliant, containing no BPA nor BPF, that can be applied on existing equipment, cured within existing time / temp., EB, UV, or at room temp., and a NO PVC, NO Pthalate, container sealant, that also could be applied using existing equipment, and cured within existing Time / Temp.
The Marlborough, Ma. Fire Dep. While putting out a fire in a bedroom window air conditioner, went into my basement / lab. seeking to determine if the fire started in the basement, found my lab. and without a court order proceeded to dismantle my lab and remove all my samples, including my Notes, Spread sheets of compositions and all results, (MY INTELLECTUAL PROPERETY), some Material Safety Data Sheets, and some Technical Data Sheets were returned to me by Mass . Dep. of Environment Protection, but NO intellectual property.
Would we have the light bulb if T. Edison was treated as I was, would we have a PC if Steve Jobs, and William Gates were treated as I was.
The only way to rejuvenate the economy is with innovation, and the only way to innovate is to encourage creative scientist to do their thing, and not prostitute their talents to large corporations. Looking for someone to help me market these products to the container industry
I only drink rain water.
I got this reply from Poland Spring after asking them about this article:
ear Bill,
Thank you for using polandspring.com. Please note, NBC’s recent coverage of bisphenol-A (pronounced “biz-fen-all A”) was confusing and at times contradictory. Its reporting raised many more questions than it answered.
At one point during its report, NBC science correspondent Robert Bazell even acknowledged that “this is one of those situations where the science just isn't there to prove a human danger.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly found that polycarbonate (pronounced “pall-ee-car-bone-ate”) plastic, which Nestle Waters uses for its three- and five-gallon water bottles for home and office water coolers, is safe to use.
If we may be of any further assistance, please contact us. We appreciate you for choosing Poland Spring as your water service provider.
Sincerely,
Charmi S.
E-Service Support Representative
Poland Spring Water
www.polandspring.com/service
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