Common Chemical Used in Plastics May Be Far More Prevalent in Humans Than Previously Thought, says New Study

This study raises serious concerns about whether we’ve been careful enough about the safety of this chemical,” said Patricia Hunt, a professor of molecular bioscience at Washington State, and a corresponding author of the paper, in a statement. Despite how huge the difference, the results are not getting much evident pushback from other researchers in the field. “It honestly blew my mind—not because I don’t believe it, but because it appears to be true,” says Lori Hoepner, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at SUNY Downstate School of Public Health. “It makes sense and it appears to be a repeatable method that could be tried with other sample populations. It could really blow a lot of things we know about BPA out of the water.” BPA metabolizes rapidly in the body, turning into chemical byproducts called “metabolites.” That makes it difficult to screen for in blood or urine in its unadulterated state. There is a standard test that can determine exposure levels based on these metabolites, but it’s indirect and complicated. The method uses an enzyme solution that breaks down two BPA metabolites—BPA glucuronide and BPA sulfate—into pure, or “deconjugated,” BPA. Testing for the amount of that pure BPA can, theoretically, be used to determine overall levels of the chemical in a person’s body. However, if any metabolized BPA is left behind, the test won&...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized bisphenol a BPA endocrine disruptor Environment Environmental Health Source Type: news