Wakefield, 31 October 2009 -- The research indicating problematic health-related issues linked to the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) continues to emerge on a regular basis.  BPA is the primary constituent of hard polycarbonate plastic used to make many baby bottles, water bottles and the large blue-coloured water containers for water dispensers.  A recent study conducted in Cincinatti, Ohio measured the level of BPA in 249 pregnant women before and after they gave birth - 99% showed detectable levels of BPA.  The children's behaviour was then assessed at two years of age.  The researchers found that the daughters of women with the highest concentrations of BPA in their bodies exhibited aggressive and hyperactive behaviour, but there was no significant effect in boys.  The children will be tested again at five years of age.

Read the full study - Prenatal Bisphenol A Exposure and Early Childhood Behavior - published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

(Photo credit: Lake Eufala News)

Wakefield, 24 September 2009 -- In late May 2009, food and chemical industry lobbyists met in Washington, D.C. to discuss communications strategies aimed at keeping the toxic plastic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) on the market and front and centre in the lives of mothers, minorities and the poor. The internal meeting notes were leaked to media and the Environmental Working Group, and indicate plans to use deception-based techniques, including using a pregnant woman as a national spokesperson on the benefits of BPA. The notes highlight the importance of focusing on the impact of BPA bans on minorities (Hispanic and African American) and poor.  Fear tactics are suggested -- e.g., “Do you want to have access to baby food anymore?” 

Read the full story at the Environmental Working Group Enviroblog.

Read the meeting notes outlining the tactics discussed at the meeting. 

There is substantial - and constantly growing - research that BPA can negatively impact health at very low doses, especially for infants. BPA has been banned in Canada for use in plastic baby bottles and containers for baby formula.  In the U.S., while the Food and Drug Administration has not yet recommended discontinuing use of BPA-containing plastic containers, a comprehensive September 2008 report of U.S. Department of Health Human Services (National Toxicology Progam) report indicated "some concern for effects [of BPA] on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children at current human exposures."  

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Wakefield, 1 August 2009 -- Health Canada researchers have found trace amounts of the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A leaching out of some 'BPA-free' plastic baby bottles made of polysulfone, polystyrene or polypropylene. BPA is the principal component of polycarbonate plastic, and it is banned in Canada for use in baby bottles and the lining of baby formula containers. This news is especially disturbing given that BPA is not meant to be a component of these non-polycarbonate plastics. The researchers raise the possibility of cross-contamination during the manufacturing process, and if that is the case, that would make it practically impossible to know if something contains BPA without testing it. For more details on the report and expert commentary about it, take a look at this article.

(photo credit: Canwest News Service)

Wakefield, 12 July 2009 -- Would you like some endocrine disrupting chemicals with that cheese?  A recent scientific study in the international journal Science of the Total Environment indicates that chemicals leaching from packaging into food may increase human exposure to acknowledged toxins such as bisphenol A and phthalates, possibly contributing to adverse health effects. The Swiss environmental toxicologist who carried out the study, Dr. Jane Muncke, notes that "food packaging is a large but underestimated source of food contamination," and "even manufacturers of plastics do not know the full extent of chemicals that are present in their products."

(Photo credit:  http://www.ehow.com/how_2283077_use-cheese-slicer.html)