Study: Plastics linked to serious health risks

The first major study of a chemical found in plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, and the lining of metal cans for canned food finds it could be contributing to a recent spike in heart disease and diabetes.

However, the Food and Drug Administration reiterated today that the chemical Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is safe. But even the FDA calls that a "tentative conclusion."

So where does that leave consumers?

At a play date for the Mom's Club of Andover/Ramsey, you won't find any bottles or sippy cups containing BPA.

These moms are trying to keep the chemical away from their children.

The fear is that BPA, found in some hardened plastics, can disrupt hormones affecting a child's development.

Michelle Steur says, "I just want to make sure they don't have anything that's going to cause any problems in the future."

But BPA is not only a childhood concern.

A large new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association says adults with higher levels of BPA in their systems have a higher risk of developing diabetes or heart disease.

Dr. Bill Toscano from the U of M's School of Public Health says the study is an important first step. He says, "It's the first time we've seen in humans, from an epidemiological study, that? you could have disease from Bisphenol A.

Until now, scientists have only had information from animal studies. Tamara Galloway, PhD of the University of Exeter, England says animal studies, "have suggested that Bisphenol A acts like a hormone where it disrupts the actions of hormones, particularly estrogen, and that might be having some effect on insulin resistance and on the way that fat is distributed in the body."

So Toscano recommends minimizing exposure for kids and parents. But it can be tough.

He says, "It's everywhere. We make about 7 million pounds of it a year. It's in plastic, hard plastic bottles, Nalgene bottles, a lot of baby bottles, inside liners of tin cans; it's used in dentistry now to replace mercury."

Now these moms have one more person to worry about.

Jessica Ovall of Ramsey says, "We all try to do the best for our kids but we might not necessarily do the same for us and I think we need to do that."

BPA is found in plastics with the recycle number 7, but not all plastics containing BPA have a number on the bottom.

Toscano says besides avoiding these plastics, he recommends staying away from canned food as much as possible.

But again, the FDA today says BPA is safe

And this study, while showing a link, does not prove that BPA causes diabetes or heart disease. For that, more studies are needed.

By Renee Tessman, KARE 11 News

(Copyright 2008 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)

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