Food Packaging Material (Bisphenol-A) Raises New Fears and Concerns
THIS ARTICLE FEATURED DEC 17 ON GOOGLE NEWS TOP STORIES OF THE DAY
Bisphenol-A or BPA - a substance that is used in food packaging such as in the epoxy lining of food cans and in polycarbonate bottles has been a subject of intense controversy and concern over the last few months. On Nov 11, I wrote a post listing the specific canned and other foods that were of concern vis-a-vis BPA ingestion, and earlier in June this year, I wrote about the results of a Harvard study that confirmed the leaching of BPA from polycarbonate plastic bottles. This month, additional research on BPA has brought to surface new and pressing health concerns regarding the ingestion of this chemical.
A recent study by the French National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA) found that BPA caused a negative reaction in the intestine of rats - even at doses that were 1/10th of the daily amount considered safe for humans. Results from this study suggested that BPA lowered the permeability of the intestines and the immune system’s response to digestive inflammation, and that newborn rats exposed to BPA in the uterus and during feeding had a higher risk of developing severe intestinal inflammation in adulthood. Previous studies on BPA have indicated that high levels of this chemical in the bloodstream are significantly associated with heart disease, diabetes, and abnormally elevated levels of certain liver enzymes, and furthermore, that BPA exposure during development has carcinogenic effects and produces precursors of breast cancer.
In light of the cumulative evidence indicating numerous concerns with BPA consumption, The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program have warned people – particularly pregnant women and children – not to consume BPA. The NIEHS has also launched a $30 million research initiative to investigate the effects of BPA, and the United Nations will be holding a summit on BPA safety in 2010.
BISPHENOL-A AND YOUR HEALTH – WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Given the mounting evidence indicating that ingestion of BPA may lead to significant health problems, it appears prudent to minimize exposure to BPA via food packaging that utilizes this chemical. While the US Food and Drug Administration has not yet issued the final word on BPA safety (It has postponed release of its final report), research does indicate that there is significant evidence and good reason to be concerned about BPA consumption. For this reason, you should carefully review and act on the guidelines presented in previous posts (links above) to minimize BPA exposure. Here are some key reminders:
1. Review products that have been found to have high levels of BPA and minimize or avoid their consumption altogether (These particularly include canned green beans, canned soups, and certain canned juice drinks).
2. Choose fresh over canned or packaged foods whenever possible.
3. Do not reheat food or drink in the microwave in plastic containers – Use only glass.
4. Do not consume food or beverage from containers with the numbers 3 or 7 listed inside the recycle symbol on the container.
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS…
….I feel both obliged and compelled (in my position as a research scientist, and by virtue of my experience is studying chronic diseases) to share with all that nearly everyday I meet people who “wonder” where their particular chronic disease “came from.” While it is true that even with all the tools and knowledge at our disposal, we are sometimes unable to discern the ultimate cause(s) of certain diseases, I find that most of us do not begin to take full advantage of the facts we do know that can help us minimize the prospects of disease.
In Medicine, we learn that, “A disturbed biochemistry is always the antecedent to observed pathology.” In simple language, that statement simply means that before a disease fully manifests itself, there is almost always (that is, in most cases) a window of time in which we may be able to prevent the disease and/or alter its course. Given that fact, I wonder how many of us truly take seriously the power that is vested in our own hands both to prevent and/or alter the course of a great many diseases.
Increasingly, in the US and the West, the list of environmental and other exposures that may have a detrimental, and perhaps even a fatal effect on our health appears to be increasing. BPA is yet another exposure against which evidence indicates serious caution may be warranted. Notwithstanding that fact, I have been told that many are going to find it “impossible” to choose fresh green beans over canned, or to undergo the inconvenience of not warming foods in plastic ware. This is just a friendly reminder to all that it can be exponentially more inconvenient to deal with disease when it occurs, especially in contrast to the “inconvenience” caused by taking the relatively simple steps that can be taken to avoid it. The window of time to minimize the risk of disease in now; the power to do so is in our hands. Let’s be sure to use it, and use it well.
