Bisphenol-A, commonly referred to as BPA, is a synthetic carbon compound present in consumer plastic products. These products include water bottles, food containers, canned foods coated with protective linings, and shopping receipts. According to the CDC, 93% of Americans have traces of BPA chemicals present in their urine samples. This has recently attracted attention in the media because BPA is linked with a plethora of potential health hazards; such as the development of cancer, diabetes, asthma, and disruptions in the endocrine system. Scientists currently focus on the estrogenic activity caused by levels of BPA chemicals found in consumer plastic products, and are concerned about the potential negative effects on human health. This concern is based studies which have shown disruptions in the reproductive and endocrine systems of laboratory rats (Vinas and Watson 2013). The estrogenic properties of the compound BPA were first discovered by British medical researcher Edward Charles Dodds in the 1930s. Dodds aimed to create a drug that could be used to treat problems relating to pregnancy symptoms, menopause, menstruation, and the prevention of miscarriages. Although BPA was not successful in the medical industry, around the same time, chemists in Switzerland and the United States discovered that BPA could be made into epoxy resins. This new discovery quickly became popular in the industrial production industries for uses such as piping, adhesives, and protective
The overall food contamination by Bisphenol A is unknown, but the nutrition/ health impact of this chemical is an important subject to be discussed for all individuals. The main aim of one study recently analyzed was to assess the reproductive impact of BPA leached from regularly available polycarbonate plastic containers. The bottles specifically chosen for testing were those that were used by children. The migration of BPA occurs in polycarbonate plastics (i.e. water bottles and baby bottles). Toxicology reports show society the importance of evaluating these products before purchase and consumption as a consumer. For a particular experiment, researchers used Daphnia Magna, a small flea that cleans and absorbs particles that infect the solution they are placed in, and bred them in the polycarbonate containers. A control group was created using water bottles without the infection of these creatures. A GC-MS machine to detect the level of BPA released by each polycarbonate plastic then evaluated the water. An increase in the reproduction of BPA was detected when the Daphnia Magna were bred inside the container. Although these organisms effected the leaching of Bisphenol A, the GC-MS was able to detect, through the control group, that BPA is released without DM. An Eco toxicological effect was observed through all of this testing, and provided evidence to substantiate the fact that Bisphenol A is leached from polycarbonate plastics. The BPA was further analyzed in the Daphnia
Frequent reports in the mainstream news media present conflicting evidence about the safety of human exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in a variety of consumer products. Some groups claim that exposure to even low doses of BPA -- which is considered to be an endocrine-disrupting compound (EDC) -- leads to ailments including cancer and diabetes, and can trigger autism and other neurobehavioral disorders. The opposing viewpoint holds that each exposure is so minimal that the lifetime risk to human health does not warrant a ban on what is otherwise considered to be a commercially useful chemical. An examination of the science on both sides of the controversy leads to the suggestion that exposure to BPA through consumer
is a difficult chemical to escape -- it's in so many plastic products from water bottles and sippy cups to contact lenses and toys. Controversial studies linking BPA to health risks, particularly reproductive risks, prompted companies to go the "BPA-free" route. But new research from the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) Health Sciences says not so fast: BPS (Bisphenol S), a replacement for BPA that technically makes products BPA-free, is probably not safe either.
BPA means bisphenol A. It is widly used industrial chemicals in the manufacting of polycarbonate platics. It is in bottles, food & beverage packages, as well as dental sealians. The FDA (Food and Drug Administrain) in the U.S. banned of the use of BPA in baby bottles and infant formula containers (Kenny, 42). In 20014 FDA did mention in a study that a low-level exposure to BPA is safe.
As a result, evidence was proven that the lab animals tested with the endocrine-disrupting chemicals, distinctively increased in size and weight. From the University of California, Bruce Blumberg was one of the first scientists to notice a link between the disrupting chemicals and obesity in the lab animals; resulting in his theory to be that “obsesogens” were causing the animals to gain fat. Obsesogens are classified as common chemicals found in our environment and are endocrine-disruptors that appear to be most dangerous when taken in small quantities. From the University of Missouri, Fred Vom Saal was researching on the effects of Bisphenol-A (an endocrine-disruptor) and injected them with a small dose of BPA equivalent to the amount a human would ingest in a day. Results have shown that it had caused reproductive abnormalities of weight gain. From the U.S National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Retha Newbold studied the health effects on D.E.S, which is a hormone replacement drug, have found to be linked with ovarian cancer. Newbold’s research experiment was to inject the rats with D.E.S, and results significantly showed the animals became obese due to the chemical. All the experiments conducted, had shown that the endocrine disrupting chemical did indeed include a link to the obesity in the lab
BPA is a synthetic organic compound which is also known as Bisphenol A and can be found in many items that we use everyday (Withcott & Laposata, 2012). Some of items that the compound can be found in consists of the lining of metal food cans, drink cans and the pipes that supply our water. Also, it is used in plastic water bottles, baby bottles, food containers, our food utensils and electronics. This same compound can move into our food, air and body just by using these products. Research has found that it is detected in an individual's urine and that we are exposed to BPA continuously.
There are chemicals plastic products and in cans. This chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) are in many products people use every day. People are exposed to this chemical on a regular basis except in small amounts and it is harmless but since it is in many products that we use it can cause harm to the human body. Some of these products are canned food, plastic, receipts, and it is in the air. Exposure to BPA can cause many health problems overtime because it is a carcinogen. BPA should be banned from being in products because of how poisonous it is to others health.
BPA is an industrial chemical used to make plastics. BPA stands for bisphenol A. BPA Is used in a wide assortment of products from packaged food to dishes. FDA approved BPA for use in the 1960s.1 The effect of BPA on human health has been highly disputed by FDA and scientists. It is estimated that over 90% of the United States populous is exposed to BPA on a daily basis (Brennen, 2017). To fully understand the ramifications of this chemical an examination of research is required.
To put simply, plastic is composed of alike molecules, such as carbon or hydrogen, put together in a chain. These chains are called polymers, which is just a repeating pattern of chemical mixtures. What many are unaware of is the toxic chemicals in these chains. Plastic contains Bisphenol A(BPA), which is a reproductive, developmental, and systemic toxicant, as well as an endocrine-disruptor. Even when something is BPA-free, it is not any safer than BPA, as a study has shown it has “the same or greater hormone-disrupting effects of BPA” (Terry 20). Lead and cadmium are also embedded within, which damages the nervous system, kidney, blood, and brain, and is a human carcinogen (Terry 21). These chemicals, over time, have the ability to seep into
When BPA was created it was life changing. Yes, we already had plastics, but when BPA was created our plastic became stronger and much improved. With BPA, we could do much more with plastics than in the past like being able to transport water in spill-proof bottles and ways to transport food while keeping it sealed shut. BPA allowed food to be heated in the microwave without the plastic melting. People felt safer when polycarbonate plastics were created because it made all plastic safety gear much stronger and more protective. Having this new and improved plastic was astonishing and seemed to be a great
Chemical such as bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) are often be found in our food, water, and personal products. BPA is used to produce polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins and in the manufacturing process of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) organosols (Paloma, Quesada, & Nadal, 2015). Water bottles, food storage containers, baby bottles and other products are designed using polycarbonate (Cao, et al., 2011). BPA is also used in the coating of metal food and beverage cans and metal lids in glass jars (Cao, et al., 2011). Previous studies have determined that BPA can be released into food or drink in hot, acidic and basic conditions. It is estimated, that two-thirds of BPA in adults comes from dietary source (Arbuckle, et al., 2015).
Although the FDA states that the levels of BPA in foods and beverages is safe, studies and experiments show differently. Based off of hundreds of experiments and studies from all over, Bisphenol A can cause many health risks and problems to the human body. Some of the health risks include: structural damage to the brain, impaired learning, altered immune function, etc. BPA also affected infants and babies immensely; BPA is common in baby bottles, sippy cups, baby formula cans, and other products for babies and young children (WebMD). Many urine studies have found higher BPA concentrations in children than adults, as well. Not only can BPA affect the human body, but it can also affect plants and aquatic life. Plastic containing BPA that ends up in the ocean, can contaminate the environment. “BPA can undermine the reproduction and development of aquatic life, especially fishes. There is also compelling evidence that aquatic invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians are also affected” (Medical News Today).
In experimental animal studies, prenatal and postnatal exposure to low-dose BPA was reported to alter the hormone levels in mice and rats, but the data are not consistent (overview in Table 7). Gamez et al. reported that low-dose BPA exposure lead to increases in serum LH and FSH levels in young Wistar rats (Gamez et al., 2014). On the contrary, in one study using adult Wistar rats, Wisniewski, et al. found that BPA exposure at doses of 5 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg reduced the total and daily sperm production and also decreased serum T, LH, and FSH levels and increased the E2 level (Wisniewski, et al., 2015). In two studies using SD rats, one reported decreases in serum T and E2 levels with postnatal low-dose BPA exposure (Gurmeet, et al.,
Since its mass-production, plastics had become a part of everyday living because of its versatility. The usage of plastic ranged from food containers to electronic components and humanity had become so reliant on plastic that it is unaware of the potential downsides of this versatile material, particularly the chemicals in the plastic that could be potentially harmful to humans. Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is one of such chemicals which is used in resins to line containers and one of the most notable sources of BPA is plastic bottles, a widely used liquid container that can be found just about anywhere in industrialized societies (Raloff 2007). However, there was debate on whether or not BPA is harmful and government agencies had reported that the low amount of BPA in plastic containers was not a major threat to human health thus the general public should not be overly concerned (Raloff 2007). However, scientists and researchers were looking into the properties of BPA through various experiments, uncovering negative effects of the chemical’s exposure, and unveiling to the general public about how the widespread use of plastics in daily life could potentially affect them.
Furthermore, according to research conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health, people who drank from polycarbonate bottles had a 69 percent increase in an endocrine-disrupting chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) in their bodies. BPA has been linked to the development of diabetes, heart disease, and liver toxicity.