BPA in Cans and Plastic Bottles: A Health Risk or Not?
Is your plastic water bottle safe? This is the question in the minds of many scientists as they explore the effects of bisphenol-A (BPA), a substance found in cans and plastic bottles, to the body.
More scientists are finding that being exposed to BPA increases the risk for some kinds of cancer. It could even affect one’s fertility. Unborn babies exposed to BPA while still in the womb may develop problems in childhood behavior like hyperactivity.
BPA imitates the action of estrogen, a hormone produced in the endocrine system that contributes to the development of the reproductive system, the brain, and other body systems in a growing fetus. Thus, a substance like BPA, which can duplicate or produce exaggerated responses and can even block such responses, can cause negative effects to an unborn child.
BPA is commonly found in plastic water bottles, baby bottles, linings of cans, and dental sealants. This substance is known to leach from plastic and can containers into the food they contain.
It mixes with milk in baby bottles. It also mixes with milk formulas, soups, sodas, and other beverages in cans. BPA has been observed in the mouths of those who have just gone to the dentist and had their teeth sealed. In fact, a study done by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that 95% of Americans have turned out positive for the presence of BPA in their urine.
Plastic manufactures admit that the body routinely ingests BPA in plastic bottles and canned goods. They maintain that it does so in levels way below the toxicity level and that BPA is safe unless one consumes 1,300 pounds of bottled and canned foods in a day.
However, present studies have revealed that even low doses of BPA can be harmful to the body because they can either activate or suppress certain genes. The amount of BPA in the blood may also be related to the occurrence of miscarriages, as shown in a study conducted among Japanese women.
More studies are needed to arrive at conclusive statements regarding BPA, but it wouldn’t hurt one to be cautious about consuming food products stored in plastics and cans.
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mix with milk in baby bottle. you can also mix with milk formulas, soups, sodas, and other beverages in cans.