Bisphenol May Stay in System Longer - Study

Bisphenol A, a chemical used to make many hard plastic products, may stay in the body longer than previously thought.

Researchers say the finding may also mean that people are ingesting the chemical from non-food sources.

In Wednesday's online issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, Dr. Richard Stahlhut of the University of Rochester's Environmental Health Sciences Center said high levels of BPA remained in the body after people in a study fasted for as long as 24 hours.

In October 2008, Canada became the first country in the world to ban the import and sale of polycarbonate baby bottles containing bisphenol A, citing concerns about exposing infants to the chemical.

Late last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it planned more research into the safety of BPA, but the agency indicated no immediate plans to follow Canada's curb on the chemical.

In the latest study, Stahlhut and his colleagues looked at BPA levels in the urine of 1,469 U.S. adults who took part in a government health survey.

The researchers said they expected to see a relationship between the last meal, fasting time and BPA levels.

Based on the assumption that BPA is excreted quickly and people are exposed to the chemical mainly through food, much lower BPA levels were expected among those who fasted for 24 hours than those who fasted for 8.5 hours.

Safety assumption questioned

"Our results simply do not fit that picture," said Stahlhut.

"The research community has clues that could help explain some of these results, but to date the importance of the clues have been underestimated. We must chase them much more vigorously now."

BPA levels appeared to drop about eight times more slowly than expected, he added.

The researchers proposed two possible explanations for the higher-than-expected levels among people who fasted:

• Exposure to BPA from other sources, such as house dust or tap water.
• BPA may seep into fat tissues, where it is released more slowly.

"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," Fred vom Saal, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia Division of Biological Sciences, told HealthDay News.

To find out, more research is needed to evaluate the effects of BPA on fat tissue hormones and function, and to compare BPA levels in fat, blood and urine, Stahlhut said.

Bisphenol A is a chemical compound found in some hard, clear, lightweight plastics and resins. It's used in the production of various types of food and drink containers, compact discs, electronics and automobile parts, and as a liner in some metal cans.

Animal studies suggest that, once ingested, BPA may imitate estrogen and other hormones, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

In a study published in September 2008 in the Journal of the American Medical Asssociation, adults with higher BPA levels in their urine were linked to higher risks for heart disease and diabetes.

The American Chemistry Council, which represents makers of BPA, maintains that the chemical is safe for all uses. Steven Hentges, spokesman for the trade group, dismissed the study's conclusions as "speculative at best."

Source: CBC.ca

Nalgene Water Bottles Pulled Off Shelves

Mountain Equipment pulls water bottles off shelves

Country's largest specialty outdoor-goods retailer cites concern over possible health risks

Mountain Equipment Co-op, the country's largest specialty outdoor-goods retailer, says it has pulled most food and beverage containers made of polycarbonate plastic from its shelves, citing concern over possible health risks.

The Vancouver-based firm been one of the largest sellers of such products as polycarbonate Nalgene water bottles, and probably has done more than any retailer to make the distinctive, brightly coloured containers an iconic product everywhere from backcountry campsites to urban offices and university campuses.

The retailer didn't issue a public announcement that it removed the containers, but made a decision to take action Monday and instructed staff to cart polycarbonate products out of stores Wednesday.

The plastic in question is made mostly from bisphenol A, which mimics estrogen and is derived from petrochemicals.

It has been linked in dozens of independent research studies to illnesses that could be caused by hormone disruption. However, manufacturers of bisphenol A say their research shows the material to be harmless.

Health Canada is conducting an assessment of bisphenol A and trying to sort out the conflicting evidence. It expects to issue preliminary results of its review next spring, and a final report on the safety of the chemical in 2009. The Ontario government is also looking at the chemical.

Mountain Equipment said it will keep polycarbonate products out of stores, pending results of the federal review.

“The products have been pulled from the shelves and we're no longer selling them,” said Tim Southam, a spokesman for the retailer, which has 11 stores, annual sales of about $222-million and requires customers to pay a membership fee.

“We've been following this issue quite closely and it's one we've seen an increasing concern [about] among some members,” Mr. Southam said of the health controversy.

A spokesman for Nalgene's manufacturer, Nalge Nunc International Corp. of Rochester, N.Y., said it believes Mountain Equipment is the first major retailer in North America to pull its polycarbonate bottles based on health worries.

“From our perspective, it's certainly unfortunate because we feel there is a body of evidence” supporting the safety of the product, Eric Hanson said. He added that the retailer's action won't affect all of its products because the company also markets containers that do not contain bisphenol A.

Mr. Southam said Mountain Equipment, which is a big marketer of camping gear and outdoor clothing, doesn't expect to take a financial hit from the action because it is selling alternative products, such as stainless-steel water bottles. He wasn't immediately able to give the sales value of the affected items.

Environmental Defence, a Toronto group that has been lobbying Health Canada to ban bisphenol A from food and beverage uses, praised the retailer and said other companies should follow its lead.

“The fact that a retailer of this size, dealing in this volume of polycarbonate products, would make this decision should be a real wake-up call to other retailers,” Richard Smith, executive director of the group, said.

Source: The Globe and Mail.com

Plastics Unhealthy Effects Leaching Into Our Bodies

The chemical industry has long insisted that bisphenol A levels in people are so low as to not be a concern. But a new assessment has found the estrogen-like chemical used to make plastic is present in humans at levels similar to those shown to be harmful in animal experiments.

The assessment, appearing in the current edition of the journal Reproductive Toxicology, is likely to raise further health concerns about the controversial chemical. Although bisphenol A has been known for decades to act like a hormone, companies have been using it to make everything from polycarbonate plastic baby bottles and office water jugs to dental sealants and the resin linings on the insides of most tin cans.

Bisphenol A manufacturers have said the trace amount leaching into food and beverages isn't dangerous to people because it's quickly metabolized into a form that loses its ability to act like a female sex hormone.

While the authors of the new assessment agreed that people break down some of the bisphenol A they absorb, they said since so many plastics and other products containing it are in use that "virtually everybody" in developed countries has chronic, low-level exposure to the chemical and measurable amounts of its biologically active version.

Typical readings are about two parts per billion in blood. Although this is an extremely small amount, hormones are active at this level, and at even lower concentrations.

Based on the amounts being found in people and what is known about the metabolism of bisphenol A from animal experiments, it also appears that human exposures are above the current U.S. safety limit, according to the assessment.

The reason for this is not known, although there is speculation that people are gaining additional exposures beyond those known to be coming from foods and beverages, possibly through breathing in the air in buildings containing plastics and through dust.

The assessment was based on the results of an expert panel of scientists sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Its lead author was Frederick vom Saal, a biologist at the University of Missouri and one of the world's leading authorities on bisphenol A, but it was also signed by 37 other top experts on the chemical.

The researchers, in the assessment, said they are "confident" in concluding that one reason bisphenol A is dangerous is because it is capable of altering the normal functioning of genes, turning them on and off at inappropriate times.

They believe this property is one reason exposure to the chemical leads to changes in the prostate, testes, mammary glands, brain structure and behaviour of laboratory animals, particularly at low doses during sensitive points of fetal development and adult life.

"The wide range of adverse effects observed of low doses of BPA in laboratory animals exposed both during development and in adulthood is a great cause for concern with regards to the potential for similar adverse effects in humans," the assessment said.

It said some recent human health trends have been similar to bisphenol A results found in laboratory animal tests, including increases in breast and prostate cancers, earlier onset of puberty in girls, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and neurobehavioural problems, such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders.

Health Canada and Environment Canada are currently evaluating bisphenol A, after placing it on a list of potentially dangerous chemicals in long-term use that were grandfathered in the 1980s from detailed safety assessments.

Bisphenol A is sometimes identified on consumer products by the plastic industry symbol of a recycling triangle containing the number seven.

The conclusions of the assessment were disputed by the plastics industry.

"Over all, claims that bisphenol A, in particular [ biologically active] bisphenol A, is present in blood at significant levels are not supported by the weight of the evidence," said Steven Hentges, spokesman at the American Plastics Council, which represents major makers of the chemical.

The industry trade group says one of the testing methods used for determining bisphenol A in humans is flawed, although those participating in the expert panel said they didn't rely on the disputed technology. Instead, they used the results of 14 studies using other testing methods.

The new research has prompted calls for restrictions on the use of bisphenol A.

"We'd like to see some immediate action on this chemical, on food and beverage containers in particular," said Kapil Khatter, president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

He said the federal review process could take up to five years to complete, and he said Ottawa shouldn't wait that long to reduce human exposures to the chemical through consumer items.

Source: TheGlobeandMail.com

Canned Food Chemical Unhealthy Lab Results

Controversial chemical found in canned foods, U.S. tests show

High levels of bisphenol A, a compound that mimics the hormone estrogen and is used to make many types of plastic products, have been found to be leaching out of tin cans and baby bottles in separate tests conducted by two U.S. environmental groups.

The largest amounts were found by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Working Group in brand-name canned goods purchased at U.S. supermarkets, with the most elevated readings detected in chicken noodle soup and mixed vegetables. The highest U.S. level found was about four times above top readings detected in canned food in Europe.

The findings are likely to add to the current controversy over bisphenol A, a chemical that its manufacturers insist is safe, but that has been linked in independent laboratory testing on animals to a raft of hormonally related health effects, including declining sperm counts, earlier onset of puberty, birth defects, breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Currently, there are no regulatory limits on the amount of bisphenol A residues allowed in Canadian food. But bisphenol A is one of the first chemicals slated for review under a policy the Harper government announced late last year to consider thousands of compounds in widespread use that were never given thorough safety assessments.

The Canadian safety review is expected to begin in April or May and to be conducted jointly by federal health and environment officials.

Canadian environmentalists say that bisphenol A is likely to be present in food here in similar quantities to those in the United States, given the close links between the two countries.

"The same canned goods that are eaten in the United States are eaten in Canada, so there is every reason to believe that Canadians are exposed to the same levels of bisphenol A as our American neighbours," said Rick Smith, head of Environmental Defence, a Toronto-based group that is tracking chemical residues in the body tissues of Canadians.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency doesn't monitor bisphenol A residues in food, a spokesperson said yesterday.

Bisphenol A is used to make polycarbonate plastic, which is a sturdy, glass-like compound used in many water bottles. It is commonly identified by the plastic industry's triangle symbol containing the number 7. Bisphenol A is also added to the resins used to line the inside of tin cans to prevent foods from picking up a metallic taste.

The chemical bonds that hold bisphenol A together in products are unstable, allowing some of it to dissolve off containers into foods and beverages.

But a spokesman for bisphenol A manufacturers says the amounts inadvertently being eaten in food are nothing to worry about. "Human exposures to BPA from these kinds of products is well below a level that would cause concern," said Steven Hentges, executive director of the polycarbonate business unit of the American Plastics Council.

The other U.S. environmental group that conducted tests, the Los Angeles-based Environment California Research and Policy Centre, says it considers the potential human health threats from bisphenol A to be so large that it called on governments to remove the chemical from baby bottles.

It found that baby bottles it tested commonly leached four to 10 parts per billion of bisphenol A into water, and it expressed concern that young children would routinely be exposed to the chemical.

In January, the European Food Safety Authority stated that it viewed as safe the levels of the bisphenol A found in European canned food and beverage containers, although much of the research finding harmful effects has been conducted using animals given doses similar to those consumed by people through the food supply.

The highest level of bisphenol A detected in canned food in Europe was 91 parts per billion, according to the authority. However, that level was exceeded in testing conducted for the Environmental Working Group, which said it found levels as high as 385 ppb in a can of soup.

Source: Martin Mittelstaedt, The Globe and Mail