Bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is an artificially produced chemical, used to make plastics and other materials, that has been linked to health problems. BPA can be found in a wide variety of consumer products, including plastic containers and water bottles, dental sealants, coatings inside cans, and CD’s and DVD’s. Over 3 million tons (2.7 million metric tons) of BPA are produced each year.
Manufacturers use BPA to create a kind of tough plastic called polycarbonate. They also use the chemical to create epoxy resin, which is used in many coating and adhesive applications. BPA was first made in 1905 by a German scientist named Thomas Zincke.
A number of studies have linked BPA to a variety of health problems in animals. Studies with rats and mice show that BPA can produce effects similar to the female sex hormone estrogen, altering the animals’ development and reproduction. In addition, even low doses of BPA have been linked to changes in the brain activity of primates, the group of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, and human beings.
BPA may present a danger to human beings because it leaches (leaks) out of polycarbonate and epoxy resins when they are heated. Because such materials are used in many consumer products—particularly food containers—large numbers of people are exposed to the chemical. The United States Centers for Disease Control found BPA in the urine of 95 percent of adults tested from 1988 to 1994. The U.S. National Toxicology Program expressed its concern over BPA’s effects on fetuses, infants, and children at current levels of human exposure. In 2008, the Canadian government prohibited many items containing BPA, especially those dangerous to infants. Other governmental agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, have declared that the amount of BPA people are normally exposed to is not toxic. In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned baby bottles and cups that contain BPA.
See also Polycarbonate .
