BPA: The enemy in the Fridge, store on our tables

Killing yourself softly with BPA

Plastic Poison?: Bisphenol a

Author: M Howard

The list of health problems associated with Bishenol A (a common plastic molecule to which virtually all Americans are exposed) continues to grow:



Bisphenol A has been known to be estrogenic since the mid-1930s. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic as well as dental sealants and a resin coating for food cans to separate food from metal. Exposure to BPA is widespread. It has been detected in 95% of Americans tested. Before you get into full blown panic you should know that the CDC data indicates that human exposure to bisphenol A is very low and strongly supports the conclusion that exposure to bisphenol A poses no known risk to human health. On the other hand, Canada has concluded bisphenol A, or BPA, is a dangerous substance. Close to two billion pounds of Bisphenol A are manufactured each year in the United States. In addition to its use in some plastics, Bisphenol A is used in dental sealants and prostheses. Bisphenol A compounds are utilized as flame–retardants in glues, paper and fabrics. Below is a list of diseases and conditions that Bisphenol A is associated with.



Prostate Cancer–Bisphenol A may interfere with the standard medical treatment for prostate cancer, according to new experiments with human prostate tumors implanted into mice. The doses of the plastic molecule, bisphenol A. Prostate tumor size and PSA levels were significantly greater in exposed animals just one month after treatment. Experiments with prostate tumor cells in cell culture that show bisphenol A speeds the rate at which the cells become androgen independent. Once the prostate cancer is androgen independent, it is resistant to the mainstay of treatment which is the use of hormone blocking drugs.

Bisphenol A (BPA) induces insulin resistance:--Insulin resistance is associated with type 2 diabetes. researchers found both rapid and long-term effects. In summary, they showed:



Rapid Effects (within 30 minutes) decreases, compared to controls, of blood sugar levels and sharp increases in blood insulin levels;

Long-term Effects (over 4 days) increases in pancreatic ß cells insulin production and secretion, increases in serum insulin levels; and development of insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin intolerance.

Insulin levels in serum were sharply elevated after a single application of only 10 micrograms per kilogram of estradiol (an estrogen hormone) or bisphenol A.



Breast Cancer: –Genes in non cancerous breast cells exposed to small amounts of bisphenol A started to act in a way that resembled the gene activity in highly aggressive breast tumors. The genetic change in the breast tissue cells increased likelihood that women would die of breast cancer.



This gene effect “is highly supportive of the concept that overexposure to BPA and/or similar compounds could be an underlying factor in the aggressiveness, if not in the causality” of breast cancers, said Shanaz Dairkee, lead author of the study and senior scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco. Researchers found that estrogens and bisphenol A (BPA) affected many genes, and could cause some of them to turn on or off including genes associated with cancer. They also observed that progesterone would turn off dangerous cancer genes that had been activated by estrogen, only to have bisphenol A (BPA) turn the cancer genes on again.



“As soon as bisphenol A (BPA) was presented to the cells, they reversed back as if they had gotten another whopping dose of estrogen and completely reversed the progesterone calming effect on the cells,” Dr. Dairkee said.



Estrogen and bisphenol A (BPA) influenced 123 genes in common. But estrogen had the unique ability to affect 28 genes, while bisphenol A (BPA) was even more influential, being able to activate or deactivate another 52 genes.



Long Term Effects on the Female Reproductive Tract:–A study with mice shows a link to low level neonatal exposure to bisphenol A and uterine diseases that women may develop as they age, including uterine fibroids, adenomysois and cystic ovaries. The adverse conditions induced by bisphenol A (BPA) in mice have been previously described in daughters of women who received the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen which is structurally and functionally similar to bisphenol A. Research on DES has shown that animal studies can be useful in predicting effects in people.



Bisphenol A can affect male fertility–Exposure to bisphenol A during pregnancy and/or lactation can reduce survival, birth weight, and growth of offspring early in life, and delay the onset of puberty in males and females.



Learning could be damaged by Bisphenol A–Elevated levels of Bisphenol A have been reported in the blood of some pregnant women and BPA contamination may affect human hippocampal development (memory center), with long–term effects on children’s learning ability. In addition, when the ability to make estrogen is impaired, as in the elderly, exposure to Bisphenol A could damage hippocampal function and contribute to age–related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, in which hippocampal function is impaired.



For those of you who want to decrease BPA exposure, the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences suggests:



Do not microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Polycarbonate is a strong, durable plastic but over time it may break down from over use at high temperatures.

Polycarbonate containers that contain BPA usually have a #7 on the bottom.

Reduce your use of canned foods and canned sodas. They are lined with plastic that can contain BPA

When possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.

Use baby bottles that are BPA free.

Citation: Draft NTP Brief on Bisphenol A [CAS No. 80-05-7]. Published April 14, 2008. Authored by the National Toxicology Program.

from: http://healthblaster.com/2008/04/plastic-poison-bisphenol-a/

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/plastic-poison-bisphenol-a-400904.html

About the Author:
A person with a keen interest in medical science