There’s been much ado lately about bisphenol-A, a chemical used in the packaging of some foods and drinks – and found in the bodies of 93 percent of Americans.
While some scientists insist it is impossible to say that BPA is safe, others say there isn’t enough evidence yet to conclude that it’s unsafe.
Among the research studies raising eyebrows – and concerns that consumers may be better off avoiding the substance: a large study published in September, the first to link BPA to heart disease and type 2 diabetes in humans.
Researchers found that the 25 percent of the adult population with the highest BPA levels were more than twice as likely to have heart disease or diabetes as the 25 percent with the lowest BPA levels. High BPA levels were also linked to liver enzyme abnormalities.
“Our study has revealed, for the first time, an association between raised BPA loads and two common diseases in adults,” said David Melzer, one of the study’s authors, in a written statement. “At the moment we can’t be absolutely sure that BPA is the direct cause of the extra cases of heart disease and diabetes: if it is, some cases of these serious conditions could be prevented by reducing BPA exposure.”