Estrogen Mimicry of Bisphenol-A Threatens Human and Animal Health

[Guest guest]

Poster's Comment: The first time I read this, I didn't truly appreciate that

this is in the lining of ALL canned foods! Doesn't matter if the product is

organic or not - at least that is my understanding from reading the

references below too. Please correct me if I am incorrect? I would love to be

wrong

here.

 

Estrogen Mimicry of Bisphenol-A Threatens Human and Animal Health

_http://www.naturalnews.com/022848.html_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/022848.html)

 

 

 

(NaturalNews) Bisphenol-A could be making us fatter. Diet and too little

exercise are the main culprits of what has been called the obesity epidemic,

but

the hormone mimicker bisphenol-A might be tipping the scales, so to speak.

 

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is mainly found in polycarbonate plastic, which is labeled

with the number 7; in plastic food wrap, and in the resins that coat the

inside of metal cans for food. It is so prevalent in today's products that it

is

even in refrigerator shelving, water bottles, plastic food storage

containers, _water_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/water.html) pipes and flooring.

 

BPA is an endocrine disrupter that mimics the hormone _estrogen_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/estrogen.html) . Studies have shown harmful

biological

effects on animals using low-doses of the chemical and harmful effects on humans

have been observed outside of studies. Hormone disrupting effects have been

shown to occur at levels of application as low as 2-5 pars per billion and many

canned foods are within and over this range. [1] With such a low level of

toxicity, it's easy to see how even a minuscule rate of bisphenol-A (BPA)

leakage from _plastics_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/plastics.html) disturbs

many

people. The damaging effects of the chemical include impairment and unnatural

changes to sex organs and their functions, increased tumor formation,

_hyperactivity_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/hyperactivity.html) , neurotoxin

effects,

and signs of early puberty have been observed. Clearly, BPA's toxic effects

are diverse.

 

A recent study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

discovered that about 93% of the _United States_ (http://www.naturalnews.c

om/United_States.html) population have bisphenol-A in their body at a median

concentration of 2.7 ppb. [2]

 

A group of _BPA_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/BPA.html) experts determined

that the average levels seen in people are above those seen to cause harm to

animals during laboratory experiments. [3]

 

The Health Canada provisional human safe exposure limit is set at 25 parts

per billion per day (ppb/day). Their American neighbors have set the human

safe exposure limit to 50 ppb. Here comes the surprising part. Below the United

States' maximum limit, animals have been observed to display hyperactivity

(sounds like ADD/ADHD) and a reversal of normal sex difference in their brain

structure at 30 ppb/day. Below the Canadian level for maximum exposure, there

has been a notable increase in damage to DNA at 20 ppb/day, insulin

resistance (often leading to metabolic syndrome and type 2 _diabetes_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/diabetes.html) ) at 10 ppb/day, early puberty at

2.4 ppb/day (at

one tenth of the maximum safe limit), and other types of harm to sex organs

even at levels of approximately 0.025 ppb/day, which is much lower than what

was in more than half of the people in the CDC study. [1]

 

An infant that is fed canned formula with polycarbonate bottles can take in

up to 13 ppb/ day of BPA. [4]

 

Many of the results of BPA exposure, at limits below what is in the average

person, have resulted in animal impairments whose counterparts in humans

have been growing in populations as the amount of BPA in the environment has

increased. In recent decades, type-2 diabetes has increased, positive ADD/ADHD

diagnoses have increased, and rates of early puberty have gone up. Perhaps BPA

exposure causes similar impairments to humans as it does to animals at

similar levels. [3]

 

In a recent study, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia fed

quantities of BPA to mice during their early development that produced amounts

in their bodies that were lower than levels found in most people by the U.S.

C.D.C. study. A result of this was that the mice became significantly more

obese as adults than their fellow mice that were not given BPA. [5] Tufts

University researchers found a similar occurrence in rats. The chemical

industry

disagrees with these results.

 

This is the recent link between low-level BPA exposure and _obesity_

(http://www.naturalnews.com/obesity.html) . Frederick vom Saal, a BPA-studying

biological scientist at the University of Missouri-Columbia said to the Boston

Globe that exposure " can be critical on the front end of one's life where the

rest of your life's physiology is being programmed. " If BPA is present during

fetal development, it may be part of the explanation for the trend of

increased and younger rates of obesity. Its damaging effects seem to be

permanent.

 

Vom Saal said, " The idea that this is a strong, durable product is an

illusion. The chemists have known that the Bisphenol A chemical is constantly

leaching and coming into contact with food or water. It's going to damage your

body. " [6]

 

This year, nine states have pending legislation that will limit BPA's use in

containers. [7]

 

There are many other endocrine disruptors similar to BPA. Educate yourself

and limit your exposure.

 

[1] " Bisphenol A: Toxic Plastics Chemical in Canned Food. "

_http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola_ (http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola)

 

[2] " New Data from CDC Confirms Human Exposure to Bisphenol A in the United

States is Far Below Safe Limits. "

_http://www.bisphenol-a.org/whatsNew/20071101.html_

(http://www.bisphenol-a.org/whatsNew/20071101.html)

 

[3] " Chapel Hill _bisphenol A_ (http://www.naturalnews.com/bisphenol_A.html)

expert panel consensus statement: integration of mechanisms, effects in

animals and potential to impact human health at current levels of exposure. "

_http://endocrinedisruptors.missouri.edu..._

(http://endocrinedisruptors.missouri.edu/pdfarticles/pdflist.html)

 

[4]_]http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_loc..._

(http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1178620772817.htm)

 

[5]Richter, C.R., Birnbaum, L.S., Farabollini, F., Newbold, R.R., Rubin,

B.S., Talsness, C.E., Vandenbergh, J.G., Walser-Kuntz, D.R. and vom Saal, F.S.

" In vivo effects of bisphenol A in laboratory rodent studies. " Reprod. Toxicol.

24:199-224, 2007.

 

[6] " Uncovering a Hidden Danger. "

_http://atmizzou.missouri.edu/jun03/plastics.htm_

(http://atmizzou.missouri.edu/jun03/plastics.htm)

 

[7] " Parents Concerned Over Potentially Toxic Baby Bottles. "

_http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4..._

(http://www.abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4259036 & page=1)

 

 

About the author

Tom Mosakowski is working toward completing his BS in Biochemistry. He can

be contacted at TomMosakowski

 

 

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