A common ingredient in many plastics, including the water bottles many of us use on a regular basis, has been linked to heart disease. The Center for disease control found in a study of 2,605 subjects (all ages) higher levels of bisphenol A (BPA) were associated with heart disease. One study suggests BPA suppresses the level of a hormone that controls sugar levels in the blood. But to determine the validity would require further research.
The FDA and The U.S. Environmental Protection agency have began research as well as reviewing BPA safety. States including Minnesota have banned BPA in infant products since exposure in infancy has the potential to be more dangerous. Polycarbonate plastics (plastics made with high levels of BPA) are usually clear with a “7” on the bottom, and may be avoided if desired. Proof that BPA is a causation of heart disease and not just a correlation doesn’t exist currently so it is not yet a major concern.
Since there is no major proof I don’t find any reason to avoid these plastics. In the post “How Safe is That Water Bottle”by Eddie Millard, other potential effects of BPA are discussed as well as precautions: these plastic bottles are safe in normal use - when it is not used for hot liquids and is not scratched or worn. Scientists just began research in the past few years and are not “sending out the alert” just yet.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chemical-in-consumer-plastics-linked-to-heart-disease
Posted by Katie Huff
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I think it's interesting that they say there could be another explanation for why heart disease patients and diabetics, among others, have higher exposure to BPA. It also seems like genetics could cause higher/lower absorption of things like BPA, so I'm interested to see what they find out in later studies.
ReplyDeleteI recently found that water bottles made by Nalgene are actually BPA free. Just thought that to be an interesting fact for anyone who was concerned or intrigued by these two articles.
ReplyDelete-Kathrine Huff
Sounds like I should get rid of my 6-year old Nalgene that's been dropped one too many times...
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that even though further research is needed to prove the validity of the effects of BPA, major precautions are still being taken to avoid potential harmful effects. I'm interested to know how BPA actually suppresses the specific hormone controlling blood sugar levels.
-Sarah Yu