New Scientist
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Just how dangerous is bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastic containers and drinking bottles? Six months ago, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that, despite previous links to breast and prostate cancer and a range of developmental problems, human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) was well within safety limits and posed no immediate health risks.
Now, a team of researchers has challenged this idea. It reviewed the same set of data and concluded that BPA is present in human tissues at concentrations 10 times as high as those considered safe by government agencies, and that the chemical can have damaging impacts on health at far lower concentrations than previously thought.
As New Scientist went to press, an expert panel convened by the US National Toxicology Program Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction was meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, to discuss the findings and decide whether to recommend a change in BPA policy. Read more…
