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Study Links BPA Presence To Heart, Other Ailments

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The Washington Post

Published: September 17, 2008

WASHINGTON - The first large study of humans exposed to a chemical widely used in everyday plastics has found that people with higher levels of bisphenol A had higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and liver abnormalities.

The research, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association by a team of British and American scientists, compared the health status of 1,455 men and women with the level of the chemical, also known as BPA, in their urine.

The researchers divided the subjects into four groups according to their BPA levels and found that those in the quartile with the highest concentrations were nearly three times more likely to have cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest levels, and 2.4 times more likely to have diabetes. Higher BPA levels were also associated with abnormal concentrations of three liver enzymes.

Data on the health status on the study subjects, who ranged in age from 18 to 74 years, were drawn from a large federal database, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, for 2003-2004.

"Higher urinary concentrations of BPA were associated with an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities," wrote the researchers, led by David Melzer, of Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England. "These findings add to the evidence suggesting adverse effects of low-dose BPA in animals."

At a scientific hearing Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration defended its assessment that BPA is safe.

"Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it's safe, so we're not recommending any change in habits," said Laura Tarantino, head of the FDA's office of food additive safety. More than 90 percent of Americans have traces of BPA in their bodies, but the FDA says the levels of exposure are too low to pose a health risk, even for infants and children.

The North American Metal Packaging Alliance, which represents can manufacturers, dismissed the study as an "unsubstantiated scientific leap" and called for additional research.

PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN BPA

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a chemical used in lightweight, durable plastics. Products include some baby bottles, sippy cups and reusable food and drink containers, such as reusable sports water bottles and Tupperware, compact discs, DVDs, eyeglass lenses and sports safety goggles and helmets. It is also found in epoxy resins used to make paints, adhesives and canned food liners.

The Associated Press

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