Container chemical causes controversy
Bisphenol A exposure linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, according to study
Deborah L. Shelton
Issue date: 9/22/08 Section: Money/Health
"From this one study we can say that the effects of BPA in humans need to be examined more closely," said Melzer, a professor of epidemiology and public health. "Until we are able to repeat these results and clarify that the effects are definitely due to BPA itself, we cannot say for certain that BPA causes disease in humans."
Frederick vom Saal, a professor of biology at University of Missouri-Columbia, said the findings were "absolutely no surprise" to scientists who have studied the chemical, which he described as "one of the largest food contact items in existence." He served on a scientific consensus panel of 38 experts that recently reviewed 700 studies of BPA and concluded that it had a high probability of causing harm.
"If a study comes out of nowhere on a subject that has never been studied, you might say, 'How in God's name can bisphenol A possibly be related to diabetes?'" said vom Saal, who wrote an editorial that accompanied the JAMA study. "But we have a large literature of animal studies that explains the molecular details."
Dr. Anila Jacob, senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based research and public health watchdog organization, said the study suggested BPA might play a more significant part in chronic diseases than had been thought.
"We don't know causality (in this study), but associations are important in public health," Jacob said. "The first studies of tobacco found associations between smoking and lung cancer. These types of large epidemiologic studies are important in pointing us in the right direction."
Some scientists are urging the FDA to declare the chemical toxic and ban it from products that come into contact with food and drinks.
"We have always been concerned about infants and children because we know they have higher exposures compared to adults and we also know they are more vulnerable because their brains are developing and their organ systems are maturing," Jacob said. "But we believe there is reason for concern for everyone. Until the FDA starts to recognize the toxicity of this chemical, individuals are forced to find ways to reduce exposure to this chemical on their own."
The study was funded by Peninsula Medical School, and the Division of Environmental Health Laboratory Sciences at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health did the analysis.
Frederick vom Saal, a professor of biology at University of Missouri-Columbia, said the findings were "absolutely no surprise" to scientists who have studied the chemical, which he described as "one of the largest food contact items in existence." He served on a scientific consensus panel of 38 experts that recently reviewed 700 studies of BPA and concluded that it had a high probability of causing harm.
"If a study comes out of nowhere on a subject that has never been studied, you might say, 'How in God's name can bisphenol A possibly be related to diabetes?'" said vom Saal, who wrote an editorial that accompanied the JAMA study. "But we have a large literature of animal studies that explains the molecular details."
Dr. Anila Jacob, senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based research and public health watchdog organization, said the study suggested BPA might play a more significant part in chronic diseases than had been thought.
"We don't know causality (in this study), but associations are important in public health," Jacob said. "The first studies of tobacco found associations between smoking and lung cancer. These types of large epidemiologic studies are important in pointing us in the right direction."
Some scientists are urging the FDA to declare the chemical toxic and ban it from products that come into contact with food and drinks.
"We have always been concerned about infants and children because we know they have higher exposures compared to adults and we also know they are more vulnerable because their brains are developing and their organ systems are maturing," Jacob said. "But we believe there is reason for concern for everyone. Until the FDA starts to recognize the toxicity of this chemical, individuals are forced to find ways to reduce exposure to this chemical on their own."
The study was funded by Peninsula Medical School, and the Division of Environmental Health Laboratory Sciences at the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health did the analysis.
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