Disruptive Discoveries: BPA and your Health

Caught the National Geographic Strange Days Program last night on PBS and it was very interesting. It seems that the ubiqiutous plastic water bottle contains bisphenol A, which in very small trace amounts has been linked to endocrine problems.

A 2005 U.S. Center for Disease Control study reported that 95 percent of tested Americans contained bisphenol A at levels known to cause abnormalities in lab animals. This compound, which mimics the female hormone estrogen, can disrupt an animal’s endocrine system and, even in tiny amounts, scramble early cell development in mice and other lab animals. “Too much of any hormone at the wrong moment can be risky,” explains vom Saal. Lacing any animal system with it can have consequences. As vom Saal relates, “You have essentially set a time bomb in the genes of that animal.”

It seems the USA now has its first lawsuit over BPA according to Reuters. Here is the portion that caught my eye. I would not be using plastic bottles or liners to feed an infant formula or milk as the PBS program tested the impact of a dishwasher on baby bottles and the leaching accelerated.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc also said on Friday it will pull baby bottles and other products made with BPA from its Canada stores immediately and phase the items out of its U.S. stores next year.