- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- New Spray Could Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Patients
- Obesity May Raise Kids' Allergy Risk
- Childhood Food Allergies on the Rise
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Health Tip: Anticipating Acupuncture
- Acupuncture May Ease Depression During Pregnancy
- ANIMAL CARE
- Beware of Dog Bites
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Study Shows Exercise Shields Against Osteoporosis
- Active Young Women Need Calcium, Vitamin D
- B Cells Can Act Alone in Autoimmune Diseases
- CANCER
- Acupuncture May Help Relieve Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Meditation May Reduce Stress in Breast Cancer Patients
- Hypnosis Cuts Hot Flashes for Breast Cancer Survivors
- CAREGIVING
- Mom's Smoking May Lead to SIDS
- Health Tip: Benefitting From Adult Day Care
- Late-Life Fatherhood May Lower Child's Intelligence
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Support Network May Play Role in Benefits of Drinking
- Obesity Linked to Heart Failure Risk
- Anemia Rates Down for U.S. Women and Children
- COSMETIC
- New Genetic Links to Baldness Discovered
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Gum Disease Might Boost Cancer Risk
- Scientists Find Gene for Tooth Enamel
- Hormones May Be to Blame for Women's Cavity Rates
- DIABETES
- Boosting Vitamin D Can Do a Heart Good
- Out-of-Control Blood Sugar May Affect Memory
- Strict Blood Sugar Lowering Won't Ease Diabetes Heart Risk
- DIET, NUTRITION
- TV Food Ads Promote Bad Diets
- Eating Healthy : You Can Live Longer
- Oregano Shown to be the Most Powerful Culinary Herb
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- Chemicals in Carpets, Non-Stick Pans Tied to Thyroid Disease
- Pollution Particles Impair Blood Vessel Function
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Eye Disease, Cognitive Decline Linked in Study
- Kids Who Spend More Time Outdoors Have Better Vision
- Kids Think Glasses Make Others Look Smart, Honest
- FITNESS
- Moderate Aerobic Exercise Lowers Diabetics' Liver Fat
- Simple Exercise Precautions To Help Keep Baby Boomers Fit
- Keep Safety in Mind While Your Kids Are Cooling Off in the Water
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- HRT Use Raises Risk of Stomach Trouble
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- GENERAL HEALTH
- More Whole Grains May Mean Less Fat
- Meat Additives May Be Dangerous for Kidney Patients
- Poor Restroom Cleaning Causes Cruise-Ship Sickness
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Imaging Sheds Light on How Acupuncture Works
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Shedding Light on Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help the Heart
- Relaxation Tapes or Mozart Lower Blood Pressure
- Omega-6 Fatty Acids Can Be Good for You
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Closes Three Schools in NYC
- Dry Weather Boosts Odds of Flu Outbreaks
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- KID'S HEALTH
- Teen Internet Addicts More Likely to Self-Harm: Study
- Winter's Bitter Cold Poses Health Dangers
- Scorpion Anti-Venom Speeds Children's Recovery
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Strenuous Daily Workout May Keep Cancer at Bay
- Noise Hurts Men's Hearing More, Study Shows
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Using the Mind to Heal the Heart
- Keeping Mentally Active Seems To Keep The Brain Active
- Have a Goal in Life? You Might Live Longer
- PAIN
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- Tai Chi May Help Ease Fibromyalgia
- Alleviating Rheumatoid Arthritis
- PREGNANCY
- Breast-Feeding May Protect a Woman's Heart
- Sugary Colas Tied to Gestational Diabetes
- Prenatal Stress May Boost Baby's Asthma Risk
- SENIORS
- Daily dose of beet juice promotes brain health in older adults
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
- Life Expectancy in U.S. Hits New High
Controversial Chemical Lingers Longer in the Body
By eHolistic.com Published: 01/28/2009
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Bisphenol A, a controversial chemical used to harden plastics for consumer products such as baby bottles and food containers, appears to remain in the body much longer than thought, a new study says.
The finding suggests that exposure to BPA may come from many different sources, not just food products, or that the body doesn't metabolize the chemical as fast as has been thought, the researchers said.
The finding also adds to the controversy about the health consequences of exposure to the chemical, which some studies have linked to cancer, diabetes, heart disease and developmental problems in children.
"What this study shows is that either we are getting exposed to a lot more BPA than we thought, or it's hanging around longer than we thought, or both," said lead researcher Dr. Richard W. Stahlhut, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center's Environmental Health Sciences Center, in New York.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was criticized by some scientists -- including one of its own advisory panels -- after it said last August that BPA did not pose a health threat. By December, the agency had agreed to re-examine that earlier ruling.
For the new study, Stahlhut's team collected data on 1,469 people who participated in the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers looked at the amount of BPA in urine and the length of time the participants had been fasting before the urine sample was taken.
Conventional wisdom says food is the most common source of BPA, and the body clears the chemical fairly quickly. The researchers expected to see less BPA in those who fasted the longest, compared to those who had eaten recently.
But, the researchers found that the levels of BPA in people who had fasted the longest were only moderately lower than in those who had just eaten. BPA levels dropped about eight times more slowly than expected, the scientists said.
One possibility is that people are exposed to more BPA than can be found in food alone, Stahlhut said, citing tap water or house dust as other sources. The other possibility is that BPA gets "hung up" in fat cells in the body, he said.
The findings were published online Jan. 28 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Stahlhut noted that BPA is used to harden plastics in many products, including plastic bottles, PVC water pipes and food-storage containers. It's also used to coat the inside of metal food cans and in dental sealants. It's even found in cash register receipts and recycled paper, he said.
About 93 percent of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their urine, according to the CDC.
Fred vom Saal, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia Division of Biological Sciences, said more research is needed to determine all the ways people are potentially exposed to BPA.
"The finding is surprising and a little disturbing in that all assumptions about the safety of BPA made by regulatory agencies are based on the idea that we are primarily exposed to this from eating," vom Saal said. "These data are not consistent with that assumption.
An estimated 8 billion to 9 billion pounds of BPA are produced each year, according to vom Saal. His own research with animals has found that the chemical isn't cleared as fast as people had thought.
"There is a lot about this chemical, and the way we are exposed to it and the amount we are exposed to, that we don't know about," he said. "The levels of exposure have to be higher than people have been estimating."
Steven Hentges, executive director of polycarbonate/BPA global group at the American Chemistry Council, disagreed with the study. BPA is safe and is quickly eliminated from the body, he said.
Hentges noted that studies show that most BPA is excreted by the body within half an hour. "In addition, human exposure to BPA is extremely low," he said. "CDC data shows us that exposure is about 1,000 times below safe intake levels established from animal data."
More information
For more on BPA, visit the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
SOURCES: Richard W. Stahlhut, M.D., M.P.H., postdoctoral fellow, Environmental Health Sciences Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, N.Y.; Steven Hentges, executive director, polycarbonate/BPA global group, American Chemistry Council, Arlington, Va.; Fred vom Saal, Ph.D., professor, reproductive biology and neurobiology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia; Jan. 28, 2009, Environmental Health Perspectives, online
Last Updated: Jan. 28, 2009
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