bisphenol A

An article recently published on Food Production Daily has reported that despite the calls to action issued by health organization Breast Cancer UK, the British government still maintains that bisphenol A is safe for consumers in food packaging materials. According to correspondant Joe Whitworth, despite the fact that the UK Food Standards Agency continues to refer to a small selection of studies which claim that the chemical is safe, a growing body of research suggests the opposite is true.

New research from the organization Health Canada has concluded that most Canadians have measurable quantities of bisphenol A in their urine, as well as traces of lead. In a report from Metro News yesterday, it was revealed that the study found BPA in 95% of the subjects studied, with the highest concentrations found in children aged three to five and six to eleven. The article states:

An article from the Norwich Bulletin today has announced the existence of a new bill currently under review which would require that products containing bisphenol A be labeled before being sold to consumers in the state of Connecticut. A report from the Associated Press states that this new law would build upon pre-existing rules in Connecticut which prevent certain products containing the chemical from being manufactured or sold.

California has become the latest state to acknowledge bisphenol A, or BPA, as a chemical with potentially carcinogenic properties according to a new decision which surfaced yesterday, reports the SF Gate News. Contributor Stephanie Lee writes that bisphenol A is being included in the list of chemicals designated under Proposition 65 as cancer causing. The bill exposes such chemicals and:

According to an article in the Guardian this week, France's health agency has released yet another report on the health effects of bisphenol A, stating that a baby's exposure to BPA in the womb could be linked to a host of health problems, not least of all Breast Cancer, later in the course of its life. The study also warns readers about the dangers of packaging and bottles labeled "BPA Free" which often contain equally toxic substitutes.

In an article from Australia's Union-Bulletin today, contributor Frank Trapani shares a list of the health concerns associated with bisphenol A, and states that new research supporting the assertions that it is a hazard is becoming more and more plentiful. According to Trapani's article, bisphenol A, which is only now becoming more widely known amongst consumers, has been the subject of a wide and varied selection of research that has examined its harmful side effects on the human body.

Recently, a study by scientist Justin Teeguarden has been circulating the news due to its claim that bisphenol A is not a significant threat to the human body. Tom Philpott of Mother Jones writes that Teeguarden gave a presentation at the American Association for the Advancement of Science last month that assured those present that the amount of bisphenol A needed to successfully mimic estrogen in the human body was much higher than the  dosages consumers get from products containing BPA. In other words, Teeguarden asserted, BPA is not a concern to the consumer.

New research suggests that there is a connection between bisphenol A and asthma in small children according to a new study from the Mailman School of Public Health. Mark Hoffman of Science World Report reports that the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health evaluated a group of over 500 women and babies enrolled in a program that studies environmental exposures. Writes Hoffman:

An article on Grist last week shared the findings of a new study which have found bisphenol A contamination in a number of products -- a result which is unfortunately becoming commonplace except for one critical factor: the foods testing positive for BPA were organic, locally sourced, and strangely enough, not packaged in plastic.

A radio story by Australia's ABC News reported that a study has been undertaken by Duke Medical Centre which has discovered a link between bisphenol A and the suppression of a gene which is vital to the development of the central nervous system. According to the sound clip segment of the AM Show with Tony Eastly, reporter Sarah Dingle comments:

Now a new study by Duke University Medical Centre has found BPA may suppress a gene vital to the development of a central nervous system.