Bisophenol A (BPA) is a chemical commonly found in polycarbonate plastic bottles and the aluminium lining of food andbeverage cans. A new research done on mice found that mouse pups born to mothers who were exposed to a high content of bisophenol A were at a higher risk of developing asthma.
The results of the study showed that the mice born to mothers exposed to 10 micrograms of BPA developed airway problems while mice born to mothers exposed to low or no BPA did not develop the problem. Although the findings are not conclusive and require more research, there are other string of problems associated with the chemical including heart disease, breast cancer and obesity.
- Some baby feeding bottles contain BPA, an asthma causing agent
Health risks associated with BPA were found in lab animals and in humans who have had occupational exposure. Although the newest study looked only at mice, several experts believed that the findings could be a cause for concern in humans.
Dr. Steve Georas, chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine and director of the Mary Parkes Centre for Asthma, Allergy and Pulmonary Care at the University of Rochester Medical Centre in New York said: “They’re using what are probably going to be reasonable estimates of human neonatal exposure, and that seems to have an effect on the developing immune system or sensitivity to asthma. If you take it together with some epidemiologic studies, I would consider it cause for concern.”
Dr. Erick Forno, an assistant professor of paediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine added, “the mice they used are very well-accepted models for asthma and allergies so it should be a very good model of what we would expect to happen in humans, although that is not always the case.”
To obtain more conclusive results, scientists will now try and determine the amount and duration of BPA exposure required to develop allergic asthma in individuals. Scientists are also planning on extracting cord blood in humans for their research, group these subjects based on their level of BPA exposure and then assess their study results. This type of study will take years, but will certainly be more conclusive than the mice experiment.
As a safety measure, the FDA recently recommended steps to reduce BPA exposure that include discarding worn or damaged baby bottles and feeding cups, heating food and drink in BPA-free containers, and checking labels to ensure containers are dishwasher and microwave-safe.
Written by Snigdha for Biomed-ME