Bisphenol A: The Hidden Threat

Bisphenol A, also known as bpa, is a hormone-disrupting chemical considered to be potentially harmful to human health and the environment. Bisphenol A can activate estrogen receptors in the human body that leads to similar effects as the body’s own estrogens. Various environmental groups and scientific studies have claimed that exposure to bisphenol A from polycarbonate-containing consumer products poses a potential human health risk. Bisphenol A has been shown to have developmental toxicity, carcinogenic effects, and possible neurotoxicity. Recent studies suggest it may also be linked to obesity by triggering fat-cell activity. Even at low doses, some hormone disrupting effects in studies on animals and human cancer cells have been shown to occur.

Its current uses are as a primary monomer in polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Bisphenol A is also used as an antioxidant in plasticizers and as a polymerization inhibitor in PVC.  Bisphenol A is most commonly used to make polycarbonate plastic widely used in making many consumer products, including sunglasses, digital media (CDs, DVDs), water and food containers and shatter-resistant baby bottles. It is one of the top 50 products produced by the chemical industry, generating revenues on the order of $6 million per day in the U.S., Europe and Japan alone*.

Bisphenol A is a developmental, neural and reproductive toxicant that is found to leach from plastic containers, especially popular baby bottles made from plastic.  Since growing children are particularly more at risk due to their susceptibility to toxic chemicals in their environment, their exposure to toxicants like Bisphenol A can have severe and damaging consequences.  There is now extensive evidence that children, from the time they are in the mother’s womb to the early stages of development, who are exposed to Bisphenol A, even at very low doses, can face potential dangerous developmental health problems.