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Bisphenol-A: What you Need to Know

by Hannah Boyd

Bisphenol-A: probably not a chemical you’d given much thought to before recent reports labeling it as a possible danger to babies and kids. When the Canadian government declared it a potential toxin and banned it from baby bottles, parents everywhere began wondering what their children had been exposed to. The bad news? It’s everywhere. The good news? There’s probably no need to panic.

BPA is a chemical used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic. It's durable, inexpensive, and doesn’t absorb flavors. For that reason, it’s been used in everything from sippy cups to “microwave safe” storage containers. Look around your kitchen; anything made of hard, clear plastic, or labeled with a “7” in the recycling triangle probably contains BPA unless the label says otherwise. Most canned goods, even organic foods, are packaged in cans lined with epoxy containing BPA. In fact, it’s used so widely that a 2003-2004 Center for Disease Control and Prevention study found BPA in the urine of 93% of participants.

However, experts say the amount that leaches into the body is extremely low. Gerald LeBlanc, PhD, Head of the North Carolina State University Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, says: “Parents don’t need to completely avoid sources of BPA, but should minimize exposure whenever practical." The reason? Recent studies have shown that rat pups exposed to BPA showed changes in mammary and prostate tissue, and female mice exposed to BPA reached puberty sooner, implying it may cause cancer.