The Chemicals That Stick Around in the Body How the U.S. tracks the potentially harmful substances that build up in humans

The CDC tests for 212 of the more than 80,000 chemicals developed since the industrial revolution. Its latest full survey, released in 2009, listed many new ones, including Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy; perchlorate, found in fireworks and explosives; perfluorinated chemicals, used in many nonstick coatings in cookware; and acrylamide, a chemical formed when carbohydrates are cooked at high temperatures (think french fries).

Virtually all the survey participants had measurable levels of those chemicals in their blood or urine, the CDC reported.

Many questions remain about which chemicals pose imminent threats, to whom and how people can avoid them. And the Toxic Substances Control Act, which regulates new and existing chemicals, hasn't been updated since 1976.  

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Other Toxic Substances - BPA: What You and Your Patients Need to Know About Bisphenol A

In June of this year, the American Medical Association formally recognized BPA as an endocrine-disrupting agent.

Physicians can play an important role in educating their patients about this pervasive environmental contaminant. The first steps are to understand the potential health risks of BPA and how to limit those risks through simple lifestyle changes.

BPA has been shown to leach from products that contain it, such as food cans, into the foodstuffs stored in the container.1,2 When the food is then consumed, BPA enters the body through the digestive tract.

BPA is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Many consumer products, such as some reusable water bottles, baby bottles, toys, cell phones, and DVDs, contain BPA. BPA is also found in the inner linings of metal food cans.1 The epoxy lining protects the metal can from rust and corrosion which may taint the food. It is present in various medical devices as well, including incubators, blood oxygenators, and dialysis machines. Given its wide uses, BPA ranks among the highest volume chemicals manufactured worldwide.

A 2007 survey by the Centers for Disease Control found that approximately 92% of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies.3 The survey is considered representative of the United States population even though it included only people older than six years old. It is notable, however, that the children (ages 6-11 years) in this study displayed the highest levels of BPA of all populations investigated. BPA has been found in placental tissue and fetal blood as well, indicating that fetuses are being exposed as a result of maternal exposure.4

While most health studies regarding exposure to BPA are done in laboratory animals, the few human epidemiological studies reveal a relationship between BPA exposure and polycystic ovary syndrome, repeated miscarriage, and heart disease.6-8

Likely human health effects that have been vetted through these review panels include advanced puberty in females14, 15 , effects on the brain and behavior15, 16, mammary gland and prostate abnormalities, and reproductive effects in males and females.Beyond the immediate developmental effects of BPA exposure in utero, evidence is beginning elucidate long-term effects of early-life exposure to BPA, potentially through the modification of epigenetic programming via altered DNA methylation.16, 17 One study suggests that such detrimental modifications may be counteracted by maternal nutrient supplementation.18 Nevertheless, these changes may result in alterations that are passed on transgenerationally, resulting in adverse health effects in subsequent generations who, themselves, may not have been directly exposed to BPA.17, 19

For more information on how to reduce your exposure to BPA
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Other Toxic Substances - Bisphenol A (BPA): BPA in the News!!

BPA is also found in cigarettes, secondhand smoke, soda cans, cash register receipts, and canned vegetables manufactured using phthalate chemicals.

Phthalates used in household products like vinyl floors and soaps have been previously linked to changes in development of the male brain, genital defects, metabolic abnormalities and reduced testosterone - the male sex hormone in babies and adults.

BPA has been linked to heart disease and diabetes.

Bisphenol-A is widely used to harden plastics. It has been linked to dangerous disruptions of organisms' hormones, especially in infants. France is taking bold action, banning the chemical in food packaging by 2014.

Some 3.8 million tons of the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) are manufactured each year worldwide, making it one of the most-produced chemicals on the market.

BPA is everywhere. It's used to make the inner lining of tin and soda cans, plastic bottles and packaging materials, contact lenses, consumer electronics, toys, sporting items, flooring, receipts and DVDs.

Meanwhile, consumers can reduce their exposure to BPA by avoiding foods that come in plastic packaging, and by choosing groceries in glass jars and bottles, instead of tin cans.

And we have to take our concerns directly to manufacturers to let them know what we want. For example, we’re collecting signatures on a petition to tell Campbell’s soup that BPA in their cans is not “M’m, Mm Good.”

1. BPA Free? Not Exactly?
2. BPA may cause anxiety and depression in kids
3. France leads crackdown on BPA in food packaging

New study shows BPA's more dangerous than previously thought

New study shows BPA's more dangerous than previously thought

But what exactly is BPA?

It's Bisphenol-A, a chemical found in thousands of household products and is linked to breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, male infertility and other health problems.

The chemical isn't limited to children's products, it's also used in the linings of metal cans, cash register receipts, and even the plastic water bottles we drink out of.