Twisting concerns over BPA.

Michael Farrell, a staff writer for the Christian Science Monitor, recently published an article about the safety of bottles containing bisphenol A (BPA) and their ban due to health concerns.

The article mentions a recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health. Unfortunately, both Mr. Farrell and industry trade group representative Steven Hentges – who is quoted in the article – miss a main point and the larger significance of the scientific findings.

The article neglects to say how the study demonstrates that BPA can leach from unheated, clear plastic bottles, into the liquids they contain and then into the people who drink from them. The study is the first to "quantify the corresponding increase in urinary BPA concentrations following use of polycarbonate drinking bottles," the authors say. The findings confirm a two-thirds increase in BPA in the urine from those who drank from the bottles. It also identifies another potentially major source of BPA exposure, one that does not involve heating or microwaving a plastic container.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 95 percent of Americans have BPA in their bodies.

Hentges, the executive director of Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group of the American Chemistry Council, criticizes the study for not showing what BPA actually does in the body at the low levels found. He says the levels may not necessarily be harmful and is quoted: "What the authors didn't really talk about is what that means .... Their BPA exposure was below the average for the US population."

A low dose does not mean BPA is unequivocally safe. Mr. Farrell should have told readers that many epidemiology and animal studies show potential health risks (heart attacks, type II diabetes, brain disorders, prostate cancer, breast cancer, miscarriages – and many more) associated with low-dose BPA exposure. 

A big concern of finding another certain source of BPA is for newborns, infants and young children. They drink water and milk from similar types of plastic bottles that were tested in the study. They have higher exposures due to their small body size yet cannot breakdown BPA as well as adults. Pregnant women are also considered a vulnerable population to BPA's effects.

Speaking for the American Academy of Pediatrics, previous president Renee Jenkins, says the Academy is "deeply concerned" about the issue and the lack of scientific evidence that would help “to draw accurate conclusions about the safety of exposure to BPA.”

This confusing quote leaves doubt as to what Jenkins means. Either, she's supports the point that not enough is known to ban BPA-products, or she's making the point that even though more research is needed, there's enough evidence to act on what's available.

One has to assume the later – and that she and the reporter are not intentionally misrepresenting the Academy's position – given that the American Academy of Pediatrics supports limiting BPA exposure for infants, as stated in their BPA fact sheet and the Frequently Asked Questions section of their website: 

"How do I thaw milk and serve it (or have it served) to my baby?

• Thaw milk in the refrigerator or you can thaw it by swirling in a bowl of warm water (do not shake!).
• Heating milk in microwave ovens or bottle warmers is not safe. Excess heat can destroy the important proteins and vitamins in the milk. If you will heat the milk in the storage container you might wish to avoid rigid plastic bottles with recycling # 7 in the triangle to avoid exposure to BPA, a potential hormone disrupter. For more information, visit the BPA Web site. "