And the bisphenol-A (BPA) cycle of "is it safe or not?" goes on...
Several studies have again come out mostly from the Endocrine Society and none of them were pleasing to the BPA manufacturers' (and consumers') ears. First stop is during the Endocrine Society's annual meeting which was held last week in Washington, DC.
The following papers were presented that according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC) have not been peer-reviewed or published in scientific literature.
Some
of the researchers' method that ACC objected to include the injections
of BPA into animals, which ACC said have limited value for assessing
human health effects (as acknowledged by the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences); and that studies on cell cultures are
also unlikely to be directly relevant to human health unless such
relevance is scientifically validated.
Several studies have again come out mostly from the Endocrine Society and none of them were pleasing to the BPA manufacturers' (and consumers') ears. First stop is during the Endocrine Society's annual meeting which was held last week in Washington, DC.
The following papers were presented that according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC) have not been peer-reviewed or published in scientific literature.
- Bisphenol-A Exposure In Utero Leads to Epigenetic Changes and Altered Developmental Programming, by Hugh Taylor, MD
- Low-Dose Bisphenol A Promotes Arrhythmogenesis in the Female Heart Via Alteration of Calcium Handling, by Scott M. Belcher, PhD
- Oral Exposure of Female Rhesus Monkeys..., by Frederick vom Saal, PhD.
Some
of the researchers' method that ACC objected to include the injections
of BPA into animals, which ACC said have limited value for assessing
human health effects (as acknowledged by the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences); and that studies on cell cultures are
also unlikely to be directly relevant to human health unless such
relevance is scientifically validated.
"Most notably though, the study presented on rhesus monkeys appears to confirm that BPA is efficiently converted after oral exposure to biologically inactive metabolites, which are then rapidly eliminated from the body without bioaccumulation. If verified, this data strongly supports the recent conclusions of eleven government bodies worldwide that bisphenol A is not a significant health concern." -ACCAnother study from researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) came out on June 17 and was published by the journal Biology of Reproduction.
The study reported the significant reproductive health effects in rats that have been exposed to BPA in a dose that is said to be the equivalent to the EPA's 'Lowest Observable Adverse Effect Level.'
The study found that female rats exposed to a BPA dose of 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight (µg /kg) in their first four days of life experienced early onset of puberty. Female rats exposed to 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) during their first four days of life developed significant ovarian malformations and premature loss of their estrus cycle.
The ACC reiterated the limited value of doing BPA-injected animal experimentation and also the relevance of comparing BPA dosage level between animals and humans.
"The research was done on rats, making it difficult to determine its applicability to humans... The researchers also state incorrectly that their study is significant because it used a dose equal to the EPA reference dose for BPA, which is a science-based lifetime daily intake level determined to be safe by EPA. The EPA reference dose is specifically applicable only to oral exposure, not to injection exposure."- ACCThe ACC is hoping that the FDA will expedite their review on the safety of BPA to clear the confusion on its safety. The group is also blaming media bias in their coverage of BPA, which ACC claimed "suppressed the scientific evidence and truth about its safety."
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