BPA Study Points To Intestine Damage

Newsinferno

Bisphenol a—BPA—is making news again today. This time, for yet another adverse health effect linked to the estrogenic plastic hardener. Now, according to MLIve.com, emerging research has linked the chemical to intestinal problems.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences Journal and revealed the hormone mimicker does, in fact, cause harm to intestines, said MLive.com. MLive.com noted that intestines are the first organ in contact with the chemical following ingestion of BPA.

In laboratory testing, when rats were exposed to the chemical at doses 10 times smaller that what is currently believed to be safe for humans, the rats experienced intestinal lining damage. A team at the National Institute of Agronomic Research in Toulouse, France, conducted research said MLive.com, citing the Agence France-Presse (AFP). The damage, said MLive.com, is called “poor intestinal permeability” or “leaky gut syndrome,” a disorder that causes difficulty in the body with the absorption of water and nutrients and enables bacteria and other dangerous matter to enter the body. Of note, baby rats exposed to BPA in utero and when feeding showed higher risks of developing inflammation of the intestines when older. The disorders can also wreak havoc with the immune system, according to EMaxHealth.

Recently, another study conducted by the Yale School of Medicine, found that “nonhuman primates” exposed to BPA levels deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) experienced “interference with brain cell connections,” that appeared to be BPA-associated, said Daily Finance.

BPA was developed in the 1930s as an estrogenic mimicker and appears to cause significant disruption on the body’s endocrine system. In urine tests, BPA is found in the overwhelming majority of Americans, more than 93 percent and, significantly, the chemical is found in 90 percent of all newborns. Given that BPA has been connected to increased risks of brain, reproductive, cardiac, and immune system diseases and disorders; problems with liver function testing; interruptions in chemotherapy treatment; and links with serious health problems, this is a serious issue.

Studies have overwhelmingly found BPA to have negative effects at doses lower than current FDA standards; retention in the body longer than was previously believed; leeching into liquids being held in containers regardless of the containers’ temperature; and longer lasting damage, which some feel can be passed to future generations. Recent reports link high levels of exposure to BPA to erectile dysfunction and other sexual problems in males.

Laws are in place or coming into effect in a variety of states and counties in the United States in which the sale of certain products containing the polycarbonate has been banned, for instance, baby bottles, food containers, and sippy cups. Canada was the first country to announce plans to ban BPA, calling it a toxin; some retailers and manufacturers have announced plans to stop making products containing the chemical.

Most recently, a BPA ban in sippy cups and baby bottles came into effect in the state of Minnesota. Four other states are looking at a ban, said Daily Finance previously; two bills are seeking a national ban. According to Daily Finance, Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced a House bill and two democratic senators—Dianne Feinstein of California and Chuck Schumer of New York proposed a Senate bill. Also, in addition to Canada, the European Union has implemented a complete ban on BPA.