Scientists link plastics chemical to health risks

By Kate KellandPosted 2010/01/12 at 9:01 pm EST
LONDON, Jan. 12, 2010 (Reuters) — Exposure to a chemical found in plastic containers is linked to heart disease, scientists said on Wednesday, confirming earlier findings and adding to pressure to ban its use in bottles and food packaging.

British and U.S. researchers studied the effects of the chemical bisphenol A using data from a U.S. government national nutrition survey in 2006 and found that high levels of it in urine samples were associated with heart disease.

Bisphenol A, known as BPA, is widely used in plastics and has been a growing concern for scientists in countries such as Britain, Canada and the United States, where food and drug regulators are examining its safety.

David Melzer, professor of epidemiology and public health at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, England, who led the study, said the research confirmed earlier findings of a link between BPA and heart problems.

The analysis also confirmed that BPA plays a role in diabetes and some forms of liver disease, said Melzer's team, who studied data on 1,493 people aged 18 to 74.

<snip> http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre60c0ar-us-heart-chemical-plastics/

like soup, vegetables, juices, etc. The cans are lined with BPA:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consumer-reports-tests-find-wide-range-of-bisphenol-a-in-canned-soups-juice-and-more-68723862.html

Even though my son's pacifier said "BPA free", they tested several in Germany and the ones I bought leached the BPA from the shield into the nipple.