BPA linked to heart disease, diabetes

COLUMBIA, Mo., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A major U.S. study links bisphenol A, a chemical commonly used in hard plastics, to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found a significant relationship between urine concentrations of the environmental estrogen bisphenol A, known as BPA, with some chronic diseases.

BPA is widely used worldwide to make hard plastic items such as drinking glasses, baby bottles, food-storage containers, the lining of food and beverage containers and dental sealants. Previous studies showed adverse health effects of BPA on the brain and reproductive system, as well as metabolic diseases in laboratory animals, the study said.

"Despite growing research that confirms BPA is dangerous to our health, the (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and the European Food Safety Authority have chosen to ignore warnings from expert panels and other government agencies and have continued to declare BPA as 'safe,'" wrote Frederick vom Saal, a University of Missouri scientist. "Further evidence of harm should not be required for regulatory action to begin the process of reducing exposure to BPA."

The research is based on data from more than 1,450 Americans examined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.