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Tuesday, January 19, 2010
FDA to Re-evaluate BPA Safety
Bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA, is a chemical that has been used for more than 40 years in the manufacture of many hard plastic food containers such as baby bottles and reusable cups and the lining of metal food and beverage cans, including canned liquid infant formula. According to the FDA, trace amounts of BPA can be found in some foods packaged in these containers.
In 2008, the FDA judged food-related materials containing BPA on the market to be safe, however, recent studies showing health effects of low doses of BPA in laboratory animals have lead the FDA to express some concern about the safety of BPA. Because of this, the Department of Health and Human Services is investing in new studies for both animals and humans to determine and evaluate the potential health effects of BPA exposure.
In the meantime, the FDA is recommending the following step in reducing exposure to BPA, especially to parents:
Plastic containers that contain BPA are usually marked with the number 3 or 7 on the bottom.
Discard scratched containers, especially baby bottles and infant feeding cups because the chemical can seep through any scratches.
Do not put boiling or very hot water or other liquids in a BPA-container. Traces of BPA are transferred when hot or boiling liquids or food comes in contact with a BPA-container.
Use only containers marked “dishwasher safe” or “microwave safe”.
For general information regarding BPA go to www.fda.gov. For information on ways to prevent BPA exposure to children, go to www.hhs.gov.
In 2008, the FDA judged food-related materials containing BPA on the market to be safe, however, recent studies showing health effects of low doses of BPA in laboratory animals have lead the FDA to express some concern about the safety of BPA. Because of this, the Department of Health and Human Services is investing in new studies for both animals and humans to determine and evaluate the potential health effects of BPA exposure.
In the meantime, the FDA is recommending the following step in reducing exposure to BPA, especially to parents:
Plastic containers that contain BPA are usually marked with the number 3 or 7 on the bottom.
Discard scratched containers, especially baby bottles and infant feeding cups because the chemical can seep through any scratches.
Do not put boiling or very hot water or other liquids in a BPA-container. Traces of BPA are transferred when hot or boiling liquids or food comes in contact with a BPA-container.
Use only containers marked “dishwasher safe” or “microwave safe”.
For general information regarding BPA go to www.fda.gov. For information on ways to prevent BPA exposure to children, go to www.hhs.gov.
Labels: bisphenol A, BPA, plastic
posted by
Beth Wilkins
at
1:39 PM
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Harvard Study Confirms Plastic Bottle Concerns
A Har
vard School of Public Health study is the first to confirm that drinking from plastic water bottles increase the amount of a chemical plasticizer that leaches into the body. The study definitively shows that drinking from a bottle containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make plastics clear and shatter-resistant, increases the level of the chemical in urine.
In the study published by Environmental Health Perspectives, 77 Harvard students drank cold water from stainless steel bottles without BPA for a week. The following week the students drank water from plastic bottles made with BPA. During the second week, the amount of BPA in their urine was found to have increased by 69 percent.
According to the Boston Globe, the health effects of BPA on adults are not well understood. However, a recent large human study linked BPA concentrations in people’s urine to an increased prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, and liver toxicity.
The Harvard study was sparked by Karin B. Michels, an associate professor at the School of Public Health, after she warned students who regularly drank from hard plastic bottles that they might want to limit their BPA. The students countered her warning by asking how much BPA they were getting from bottles, and soon this study was born.
Just last year, Canada banned the use of BPA in baby bottles, and Massachusetts is considering warning pregnant women and young children to avoid food, drinks, and other items containing the chemical.
BPA is used in hundreds of everyday products including: plastic baby bottles, the lining of canned goods such as soap, infant formulas, microwavable plastic dishes, dental sealants, PVC pipe and carbonless paper.
vard School of Public Health study is the first to confirm that drinking from plastic water bottles increase the amount of a chemical plasticizer that leaches into the body. The study definitively shows that drinking from a bottle containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make plastics clear and shatter-resistant, increases the level of the chemical in urine.In the study published by Environmental Health Perspectives, 77 Harvard students drank cold water from stainless steel bottles without BPA for a week. The following week the students drank water from plastic bottles made with BPA. During the second week, the amount of BPA in their urine was found to have increased by 69 percent.
According to the Boston Globe, the health effects of BPA on adults are not well understood. However, a recent large human study linked BPA concentrations in people’s urine to an increased prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, and liver toxicity.
The Harvard study was sparked by Karin B. Michels, an associate professor at the School of Public Health, after she warned students who regularly drank from hard plastic bottles that they might want to limit their BPA. The students countered her warning by asking how much BPA they were getting from bottles, and soon this study was born.
Just last year, Canada banned the use of BPA in baby bottles, and Massachusetts is considering warning pregnant women and young children to avoid food, drinks, and other items containing the chemical.
BPA is used in hundreds of everyday products including: plastic baby bottles, the lining of canned goods such as soap, infant formulas, microwavable plastic dishes, dental sealants, PVC pipe and carbonless paper.
Labels: bottle, drinks, food, heart disease, plastic, pregnant
posted by
Chavon Williams
at
6:39 AM
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Study Links Formaldehyde Exposure in Industrial Workers to Cancer
A report issued by the National Institutes of Health found that those who work with formaldehyde may have a higher risk for certain cancers, particularly blood and lymphatic cancers. The report, issued online on May 12, 2009, is scheduled to be published in print on May 20, 2009 in the Journal of the National Caner Institute.
Formaldehyde is used in certain industries as a preservative and as a disinfectant. Many of these industries use formaldehyde to produce molded-plastic products, decorative laminates, photographic film, or plywood.
The study,which analyzed cancer deaths in over 25,000 industrial workers over 40 years , found a statistically significant association between death from blood and lymphatic cancers and formaldehyde exposure. The specific types of cancers that appear to be associated with formaldehyde exposure include Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myeloid leukemia.
For more information, see http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2009/nci-12.htm
Formaldehyde is used in certain industries as a preservative and as a disinfectant. Many of these industries use formaldehyde to produce molded-plastic products, decorative laminates, photographic film, or plywood.
The study,which analyzed cancer deaths in over 25,000 industrial workers over 40 years , found a statistically significant association between death from blood and lymphatic cancers and formaldehyde exposure. The specific types of cancers that appear to be associated with formaldehyde exposure include Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myeloid leukemia.
For more information, see http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2009/nci-12.htm
Labels: cancer, film, formaldehyde, health, Hodgkin's, Hodgkins, institute, laminate, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, national, NCI, NIH, plastic
posted by
Beth Wilkins
at
11:04 AM