In baseball, it's three strikes and you're out. That doesn't seem to be the case for bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical that acts like estrogen and tampers with the body's normal hormone functioning. In study after study, researchers have been implicating the common chemical in the growing prevalance of ailments like obesity, cancer, type 2 diabetes, infertility, and behavioral problems.
Despite all of the bad BPA news coming from non-industry-funded researchers, BPA's still "in play" when it comes to consumer products, with the Food and Drug Administration allowing it to coat the packaging of many of the foods we eat. Used in most canned food and drink liners and some No. 7 plastics, as well as thermal cash-register receipts, BPA is readily absorbed into the delicate blood vessels under the tongue, where it bypasses the gut and goes straight into the bloodstream. It can take up to a day to clear a dose of BPA from the body, but the real concern is that we're constantly being exposed—it's detected in 95 percent of Americans.
The latest clue suggesting that BPA is messing with our bodies comes from the University of California–Berkeley, which found exposure to BPA while in the womb or during early childhood meant boys were more likely to have anxiety issues by age 7. Tracking exposure during childhood, scientists reported conduct problems in girls and hyperactivity and trouble focusing in boys.
In the study, researchers measured BPA in the body of nearly 300 pregnant women and then tested the children's BPA levels at age 5. Scientists used data collected on the kids' behavior at age 7 and they tested the children for ADHD at age 9. They found that little boys who experienced the higher BPA concentrations as a fetus were more likely to show signs of anxiety and depression by age 7.
The authors of the study also noted that although many studies are linking BPA exposure to behavioral problems in kids, the science has been inconsistent. For example, this study found no problems in girls exposed in utero, while previous studies linked BPA exposure during early pregnancy to aggressive kids, particularly little girls.
The idea is that BPA could be interfering with and damaging delicate hormonal systems and potentially throwing off normal neurotransmitter health, the scientists wrote, noting that more investigation into the timing of exposure and sex differences is still needed
If you'd rather take all of these studies as a warning sign, you can cut back your BPA exposure by opting for fresh food instead of canned, saying no to trivial receipts (many thermal receipts are loaded with BPA), keeping receipts away from children who may want to put them into their mouths, and washing your hands after handling receipts. Some No. 7 plastics (polycarbonate) also contain BPA, so avoid plastic for food and drink containers and instead opt for glass or stainless steel.
For more reasons to give BPA the boot, read 5 Weird Things BPA Is Doing to Your Body.
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