Chemical in Plastic Is Connected to Health Problems in Monkeys

[Guest guest]

By Lyndsey Layton

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, September 4, 2008; Page A02

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have linked a chemical found in

everyday plastics to problems with brain function and mood disorders in

monkeys -- the first time the chemical has been connected to health problems

in primates.

The study is the latest in an accumulation of research that has raises

concerns about bisphenol A, or BPA, a compound that gives a shatterproof

quality to polycarbonate plastic and has been found to leach from plastic

into food and water.

The Yale study comes as federal toxicologists yesterday reaffirmed an

earlier draft report finding that there is " some concern " that bisphenol A

can cause developmental problems in the brain and hormonal systems of

infants and children.

" There remains considerable uncertainty whether the changes seen in the

animal studies are directly applicable to humans, and whether they would

result in clear adverse health effects, " R. Bucher, associate director

of the National Toxicology Program, said in a statement. " But we have

concluded that the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot

be dismissed. "

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,

the Yale team exposed monkeys to levels of bisphenol A deemed safe for

humans by the Environmental Protection Agency and found that the chemical

interfered with brain cell connections vital to memory, learning and mood.

" Our findings suggest that exposure to low-dose BPA may have widespread

effects on brain structure and function, " the authors wrote. In contrast to

earlier research on rodents, the Yale researchers studied monkeys to better

approximate the way BPA might affect humans.

" Our goal was to more closely mimic the slow and continuous conditions under

which humans would normally be exposed to BPA, " said study author Csaba

Leranth, a Yale professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive

sciences and of neurobiology.

BPA, in commercial use since the 1950s, is found in a wide variety of

everyday items, including sports bottles, baby bottles, food containers and

compact discs. One recent federal study estimated that the chemical is found

in the urine of 93 percent of the population.

The American Chemistry Council, a trade group, maintained yesterday that

" there is no direct evidence that exposure to bisphenol A adversely affects

human reproduction or development. "

The National Toxicology Program, part of the National Institutes of Health,

has no power to regulate BPA, but its findings are used by other federal

agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the EPA, which set

safe exposure limits for chemicals.

The FDA plays a critical regulatory role because it regulates the compound's

use in plastic food containers, bottles, tableware and the plastic linings

of canned foods.

The agency last month issued a draft report that declared BPA safe for use

in food packaging and bottles, based largely on the strength of two studies,

both funded by industry.

" Unfortunately the regulatory agency charged with protecting the public

health continues to rely on industry-based research to arrive at its

conclusions, rather than examining the totality of scientific evidence, "

Rep. D. Dingell (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce

Committee, said in a statement yesterday. His committee is investigating the

FDA's handling of BPA.

U.S. manufacturers make about 7 billion pounds of BPA annually. A ban would

affect thousands of businesses and perhaps billions of dollars in profit for

its largest manufacturers.

Canada has said it intends to ban the use of BPA in baby bottles, and state

and federal lawmakers have proposed a variety of BPA bans. Sen. E.

Schumer (D-N.Y.) is sponsoring a bill to prohibit BPA from children's

products, while Rep. J. Markey (D-Mass.) wants to bar it from all

food and drink packaging.

" The FDA's assurances of BPA's safety are out of step with mounting

scientific evidence to the contrary, " Markey said yesterday. " For the sake

of the health of every man, woman and child in America, we should ban BPA in

food and beverage containers, especially because there are alternatives

already available. "

Several major retailers, including Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, have pledged to

drop BPA products next year while some makers of baby bottles and sports

bottles have switched to BPA-free plastic.