Criticism mounts over ingredient in plastics
Report reveals concern about possible neural, behavioral effects of bisphenol A
Sandy Bauers - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Issue date: 5/5/08 Section: Money/Health
PHILADELPHIA (MCT) - Inside her Ursinus College lab, biology professor Rebecca Roberts dons rubber gloves and watches as her students inject spleen samples from mice with a reactive substance.
It's part of Roberts' eight years of work on bisphenol A, an ingredient in plastics ranging from reusable food containers to eyeglass lenses to CDs.
It's also part of her life as a mom - many baby bottles contain BPA.
"I wholeheartedly believe there are serious concerns with this compound," she says, thoughtfully fingering a test tube partly filled with the white, powdery substance.
Others agree. Last month, a draft report by a program of the National Institutes of Health concurred with the earlier evaluation of an independent scientific panel, concluding there was "some concern" about possible neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and young children exposed to the chemical at current levels.
The plastics industry says products containing BPA are safe.
Nevertheless, some stores quickly began pulling baby bottles with BPA from their shelves. Manufacturers are working to eliminate the substance. Legislators have proposed bans.
Roberts, in addition to her research, co-wrote an essay, "Babies, Bottles and Bisphenol A: The story of a Scientist-Mother," that PLoS Biology, a journal of the Public Library of Science, published last summer.
A five-minute walk across campus leads to Roberts' backyard, where Siena Johnson, 2, puts down her plastic sippy cup and leaps up from a plastic picnic table, exclaiming happily, "My mommy's here!"
One-year-old Bristow Johnson is fretful, so in the kitchen, where plastic cups and lids form a colorful pile in the dish drain, Roberts fixes a plastic bottle of formula.
In the living room, Siena drops to the floor to play with her plastic dolls.
"That's one of the problems," says Roberts. "As a mother, you'd go insane if you tried to take away every single plastic thing from your child. That's all there is."
It's part of Roberts' eight years of work on bisphenol A, an ingredient in plastics ranging from reusable food containers to eyeglass lenses to CDs.
It's also part of her life as a mom - many baby bottles contain BPA.
"I wholeheartedly believe there are serious concerns with this compound," she says, thoughtfully fingering a test tube partly filled with the white, powdery substance.
Others agree. Last month, a draft report by a program of the National Institutes of Health concurred with the earlier evaluation of an independent scientific panel, concluding there was "some concern" about possible neural and behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and young children exposed to the chemical at current levels.
The plastics industry says products containing BPA are safe.
Nevertheless, some stores quickly began pulling baby bottles with BPA from their shelves. Manufacturers are working to eliminate the substance. Legislators have proposed bans.
Roberts, in addition to her research, co-wrote an essay, "Babies, Bottles and Bisphenol A: The story of a Scientist-Mother," that PLoS Biology, a journal of the Public Library of Science, published last summer.
A five-minute walk across campus leads to Roberts' backyard, where Siena Johnson, 2, puts down her plastic sippy cup and leaps up from a plastic picnic table, exclaiming happily, "My mommy's here!"
One-year-old Bristow Johnson is fretful, so in the kitchen, where plastic cups and lids form a colorful pile in the dish drain, Roberts fixes a plastic bottle of formula.
In the living room, Siena drops to the floor to play with her plastic dolls.
"That's one of the problems," says Roberts. "As a mother, you'd go insane if you tried to take away every single plastic thing from your child. That's all there is."
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