BPA and Human Disease

Since BPA is technically an environmental concern if you consider anything that is around you as part of your environment, I figured it fitting to write about an article I was reading this morning that I found on http://news.google.com in the Science and Health section. The FDA is currently reviewing the possible health risks of BPA, or bisphenol-A, a chemical compound used to produce polycarbonate plastic a clear shatter-resistant plastic. BPA can be found in everything from the majority of baby bottles on the market to food utensils and even dental fillings.

In the Journal of the American Medical Association, British researchers have published a finding that indicates that the highest levels of BPA in 25% of adults was associated with these individuals being twice as likely to have heart disease and/or diabetes when compared with 25% of the sampled adults with the lowest levels of BPA. BPA levels were measured in a population of 1,455 U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 74 through blood and urine samples. The study has shown to correlate with previous studies found in animal laboratory tests, but there is still much research to be done to determine whether BPA is in fact the cause or the high levels found in urine and blood are a symptom of another problem. To read the full article click on the title, "Common Plastics Chemical Linked to Human Disease" by Michael Kahn.

While I am not trying to run around adding to the hysteria over BPA, I do think it is important to be hesistant about human made compounds that we consume and assimilate into our body.
All this does is to reaffirm the need for further study of BPA when it is related to human consumption especially when those consumers are young children who are still developing. While the government can say something is safe, I do not plan on gambling with the health of my children. Since I could not breastfeed due to medical reasons I made sure I went with BPA-free baby bottles. Companies including Born Free, Green to Grow, Dr. Brown's, and Nuby have BPA-free baby bottles and sippy cups available a local retailers and many online retailers. I just recently noticed Playtex has also jumped on the bandwagon and I anticipate that many other larger companies will too as this continues to be a concern for parents. And for all of us adults instead of using tons of disposable plastic bottles, which contain BPA, think about investing in a reusable bottle. Companies such as Sigg, Camelbak, and Nalgene all make bottles that are BPA-free and there are a variety of colors and sizes to match anyone's fashion and lifestyle.