14 DAY TRIAL // The common chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) has been heatedly debated upon for quite some time now. Some researchers suggested that there seemed to be a link between exposure to this substance and a host of medical conditions, including diseases of the heart and the circulatory system, but other groups could not verify this information. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that there were no clear indicators of the fact that BPA was dangerous, and refused to forbid it. But now, a second scientific study connects the chemical, very often found in regular plastic bottles, with cardiovascular diseases.
The finding could carry tremendous implications, as it already builds on a number of other studies, which all arrived at similar conclusions. If the FDA finds it in its heart to do something about BPA contamination, we could witness a complete reshaping of the laws and regulations that currently apply to plastic goods manufacturers. Animal studies have revealed a long list of problems that are associated with BPA, including prostate cancer, a low reproductive-cell count, and fetal developmental problems. In humans, people with high levels of the chemical in their urine have been found to be more likely to develop heart diseases than those with very low levels of BPA exposure.
While oil industry-funded lobby groups such as the Arlington, Virginia-based American Chemistry Council have been arguing against these findings, other research papers also proved in 2008 that diabetes was linked to the chemical as well. But the situation is made much more complex by the fact that BPA is produced from oil, which means that oil companies, with all their influence on Capitol Hill, and through their lobby groups, will fight actively against a potential BPA ban in consumer products.
The new data is “only the second data set from a big population to be released. It shows that our first paper wasn't a statistical blip,” British expert David Melzer, from the University of Exeter Peninsula Medical School, says. He is also the lead author of the new investigation, Nature News reports. The research was conducted on about 1,500 US adults, whose data were collected from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that was conducted between 2005 and 2006.
“The important issue is there have got to be 100 plus factors involved in any one of these diseases, and you are looking at one chemical, one time in a spot urine collection, and it's popping up as a significant variable. That's impressive because that's something you can do something about,” University of Missouri in Columbia toxicologist Frederick vom Saal adds. He has been criticizing the way the FDA chose to handle the BPA issue for many years.