Bisphenol A danger, side effects, adverse events, cancer and fertility problems by Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Bisphenol A and diabetes, heart disease

Bisphenol A is a key building block of polycarbonate, which is a lightweight, high-performance plastic with many practical uses. It is one of the top 100 produced chemicals in the world. Bispenol A is a common chemical used in everyday products such as plastic drink containers and baby bottles, and present in some canned foods.

Safe daily limit?
Federal guidelines currently put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight. But that level is based on a handful of experiments done in the 1980s rather than hundreds of more recent animal and laboratory studies indicating that serious health risks could result from much lower doses. Side effects, such as abnormal reproductive development may occur at exposures of as low of 2.4 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day, a dose that could be reached by a child eating one or a few servings daily or an adult daily diet that includes multiple servings of canned foods containing BPA.
 

Safety of Bisphenol A

Clear plastic water bottles may leak bisphenol A. There is controversy regarding the safety of bisphenol A. The manufacturers claim that bisphenol A has been thoroughly studied and is safe, whereas critics say bisphenol A may have estrogen like activity and may cause increased insulin release.

Canned foods that contain this chemical
December 2009 - Consumer Reports tested canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, and found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods tested contain measurable levels of BPA. Consumer Reports tested. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-starkman/tests-find-wide-range-of_b_342967.html

Bisphenol A and brain damage
Low doses of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), widely used to make plastic food and drinking containers, can impair brain function in primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 2, 2008.

Bisphenol A and diabetes, heart disease
Bisphenol A, or BPA, may increase the risk for diabetes and heart disease. An article in the September, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed urine and blood samples from 1,455 U.S. adults aged 18 to 74 who were representative of the general population. Using government health data, they found that the 25 percent of people with the highest levels of bisphenol A in their bodies were more than twice as likely to have heart disease and, or diabetes compared to the 25 percent of with the lowest levels.

BPA can damage the DNA of mice, and appears to be pouring into the human body from a variety of unknown sources. BPA, used to stiffen plastic bottles, line cans and make smooth paper receipts, belongs to a broad class of compounds called endocrine disruptors.

Impotence, sexual dysfunction
Male factory workers in China exposed to very high doses of this chemical that's been widely used in hard plastic bottles have high rates of sexual problems. Heavy exposure to BPA on the job is linked to impotence and lower sexual desire and satisfaction.

Safety of Epoxy Can coatings
Bisphenol A is also a key constituent of epoxy resins, which are used as protective coatings on metal cans to maintain the quality of canned food and beverages.

Safety of Dental Sealants
Dental sealants and composites, many of which are formulated from bisphenol A -derived components, play a role in preventing tooth decay and in maintaining dental health.

Canada retailer removes plastic bottles made of bisphenol A
December 2007 - Vancouver-based Mountain Equipment Co-op became the first major Canadian retailer to stop selling products that contain bisphenol A over fears the chemical can leach from plastic food and water containers. Bisphenol A has been linked to cancer and reproductive problems in animals.