Recently, I came across this acronym, BPA, and thought to myself, “What is BPA?” To my surprise, it turned out to be an industrial chemical I was being exposed to everyday and I didn’t even know! Similar to myself, there are many people in our society who are unaware of the use and exposure of this chemical. Therefore, the purpose of my blog is to familiarize students of Science 300 and our society with what BPA is, its use in industry, what scientific research has been done on this chemical, and the possible health risks it poses to human health.
Bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA, is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate and epoxy resins which are used in almost all consumer products.
Chemical representation of Bisphenol A
Polycarbonate is used in a variety of products because of its unique attributes. It is a light weight, high performance plastic which has high heat and electrical resistance as well as toughness and optical clarity. Industries use polycarbonate plastics in dental sealants, infant bottles, cash register receipts, plastic water bottles, canned food, and many other consumer products.
Epoxy resins are also used in a variety of consumer products such as paints, adhesives, and electrical laminates because they maintain the quality of the canned product. Many canned foods and beverages have epoxy resins used as liners in the metal cans to maintain food quality. Manufacturers widely use epoxy resins because of its chemical resistance, formability and toughness. Statistics have shown that 2.8 million tons of BPA was produced globally in the year 2002 due to its extensive use in the market.
BPA is found in almost all consumer products. For example, daily utensils and canned foods.
Over the years, BPA has been one of the most extensively researched chemicals. Many scientists have performed tests on rodents to test the safety of this chemical and its exposure to humans. Safety assessments have concluded that the exposure level to humans “is more than 400 times lower than the safe level of BPA set by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.” Then why is BPA still a topic of debate?
Many people are still worried about BPA exposure because this chemical mimics a hormone in the human body called estrogen. It is also widely known to be an endocrine disruptor. Research studies conducted on BPA have indicated that the tiniest exposures to the chemical can increase risks for breast cancer in woman, prostate cancer in men, infertility, early puberty, and also disrupt the hormone system (especially when exposed to babies still in their mother’s womb). Other health issues include diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. Experimentation with BPA has been primarily done on rodents, not humans. However, many research studies have shown high levels of BPA in urine samples of six year old children. Research results indicate that BPA has the potential to reprogram stem cells in our bodies which increases human susceptibility to cancer.
The question which arises now is, “What has the government and health agencies done to prevent BPA exposure to humans?” According to an article published in New York Times news, Canada has banned the use of BPA for infant bottles. Additionally, many industries are making BPA-free products available to people. Nevertheless, the controversy which still remains is whether or not these substituted chemicals being used by industries are safe, or is it simply a method for them to sell their product?
The video below further discusses this issue:
In conclusion, there is a lot of debate over the topic of BPA exposure to humans as well as its health consequences. Daily news reports are being published on this issue which keep us updated on what the government is doing in regards to using this chemical in the industry. Furthermore, researchers all over the globe are continuously experimenting with BPA on rodents to provide concrete evidence about the health risks it may cause. As for now, to avoid BPA exposure, consumers should avoid using plastic containers which have recycle codes 3 or 7 on them as they may contain BPA as well as not use plastic bottles for hot liquids.