Bisphenol A: 9 Questions and Answers

What is bisphenol A?

Bisphenol A, also called BPA, is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins.

Polycarbonate plastics are used in certain food and drink packaging (including some water bottles and baby bottles) and also in compact discs, computers, impact-resistant safety equipment (such as helmets and goggles), and medical devices.

Epoxy resins line metal products such as canned foods, bottle tops, dental composites and sealants, and water supply pipes.

Is bisphenol A safe?

That's a controversial question.

An FDA draft report issued in August 2008 says bisphenol A is safe at typical exposure levels from food and drink. But another government report, from the National Toxicology Program, doesn't rule out safety risks and notes "some concern" about effects on the brain, prostate gland, and behavior in fetuses, infants, and children.

The NTP's report, issued in September 2008, also notes "minimal concern" about effects on the mammary gland, early female puberty, and reproductive effects in adults who work with bisphenol A, and "negligible concern" about fetal or neonatal death, birth defects, reduced birth weight or grown in babies born to women exposed to bisphenol A during pregnancy, and reproductive effects in adults who don't work with bisphenol A.

The American Chemistry Council, a trade group for the plastics industry, says bisphenol A is safe for typical consumer uses.

What does the research say about bisphenol A?

A study published in the Sept. 17, 2008 edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association shows that adults with high levels of bisphenol A in their urine samples are more than twice as likely to report a history of heart disease or diabetes, compared to adults with low urinary levels of bisphenol A.

That study was the first to show an association between higher urinary levels of BPA and health problems in human adults. But it doesn't prove that bisphenol A causes heart disease or diabetes, and the researchers caution that their findings need to be confirmed.

Much of the other bisphenol A safety research has been done on rodents, which handle bisphenol A differently from humans. In those rodent studies, the greatest risk has been seen in developing fetuses and infants.

How are people exposed to bisphenol A?

Mostly through food and drink packaged in containers that include bisphenol A.

Bisphenol A can leach into food from food and beverage containers lined with epoxy resin coatings and from products such as polycarbonate tableware, food containers, water bottles, and baby bottles.