BPA may leach from polycarbonate bottles

BOSTON, May 22 (UPI) -- Those who drank for a week from polycarbonate bottles showed a two-thirds increase of the chemical bisphenol A in their urine, a U.S. researcher said.

Senior author Karin B. Michels of the Harvard Medical School said exposure to BPA -- used in the manufacture of polycarbonate and other plastics -- has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, showed that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased the level of urinary BPA. It suggests that drinking containers made with BPA release the chemical into the liquid that people drink in sufficient amounts to increase the level of BPA excreted in human urine, the study said.

"We found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds," Michels said in a statement. "If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher."

BPA is found in polycarbonate bottles, which are refillable and a popular container among students, campers and others. It is also used in baby bottles, dentistry composites and sealants, and in the lining of aluminum food and beverage cans. In bottles, polycarbonate can be identified by the recycling number 7, Michels said.