BPA Causes Low Sperm Count

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I really wish BPA would get banned. This story makes me feel that way even more. I am going to be more vigilant about dumping out my frozen dinners onto a glass plate before heating them. Heating plastic makes the BPA soak into food even more-according to a researchers at Mizzou I talked to a couple years ago.

FROM NBC: Accelerated puberty, decreased testosterone, low birth weight -- all health problems that have been linked to the commonly-used chemical BPA. Now a new study adds low sperm count to the list. The chemical BPA is everywhere -- from plastic bottles, to canned food -- even paper receipts. Animal studies suggest BPA may negatively affect the brain, behavior, and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children -- but now a new *human* study adds healthy men to the list.

Kathy Gerwig: VP and Environmental Stewardship Officer at Kaiser Permanente "Where there is a detectable level of BPA in urine, we found that men were 2-4 times more likely to have a reduced sperm count and reduced sperm vitality." Researchers at Kaiser Permanente studied over 200 Chinese factory workers who were exposed to high levels of BPA -- as well as men not exposed to the chemical at work. While the risk was higher among those who worked in the factory, even men with low exposure -- which would be similar to levels of men in the U.S. -- were affected.

Kathy Gerwig: VP and Environmental Stewardship Officer at Kaiser Permanente "It provides clear evidence that BPA interferes with the human male reproductive system." A prepared statement from the American Chemistry Council points out the changes in sperm may not affect fertility, and that several studies have shown low doses of BPA are not a risk to human health. Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have a different view -- they say BPA causes some reason for concern.

They are currently looking through all the latest research -- and now have a new human study to add to the mix. Experts say using BPA free products, drinking out of glass bottles and eating fresh fruits and vegetables -- rather than canned -- should lower exposure to the chemical. The study did not look at how BPA in urine affected fertility levels.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Throw away your coffee pot!

Hi Jen,

My daughter in law and I were talking last evening about food safety and plastics. She brought up a great question. Is it safe to use such things as the plastic coffee makers ( I have a white Black and Decker brand) and kettles (I also use a white Proctor Silex quick heating kettle for when I boil water for tea). The water receptacles in both products are plastic. The kettle is a #5 plastic. I could not find a number for the coffee maker. After repeatedly heating /boiling water in these products I was wondering if unsafe chemicals are leached in to the water.
Thanks for your time!! I find your web site and reports very informative!

Joan

I think this is a very good question. I have been reading and posting about the dangers of plastics since this blog launched last January. So I found Professor Frederick Vom Saal-a biology professor at the University of Missouri and a leading expert on the harmful biological effects of bisphenol A. He says his research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and he gets no money from any of the companies who are trying to come up with "safer" chemicals to be used in plastics.

When I asked Professor Vom Saal whether we could be drinking the harmful chemical bisphenol A(BPA) every morning in our cup of coffee, he shocked me by saying absolutely you are! He said coffee is a double whammy and there are more chemicals than just bisphenol A to be worried about. He said the combination of acidity and heated plastic is, "a bad thing. You don't want to do that with poly carbonate. The hotter it is, the more it breaks down." Is there any safe way to drink coffee? He said not unless you can find a coffee maker made of glass!

So my next question was about plastic in general. Should we just avoid it all together? He said there are some things to keep in mind:

1. Don't put plastic in the microwave. If you eat a frozen dinner, take the frozen food out and place it on a glass plate before heating it. Vom Saal said, "Anything in the packaging of food is going to get into your food."

2. Don't ever put plastic in the dishwasher. If it says dishwasher safe that means it has a harmful chemical in it.

3. If you have kids and want something durable, only use BPA free plastic products and don't heat them!

"What's happening is the public is essentially waking up before the regulatory system in the U.S. People are saying I don't like this. I am worried about this and rightly so. This is something that is related to heart attacks and diabetes. It's a carcinogen. When exposure occurs during early life, this is a bad chemical it should be off the market," said Vom Saal.

I wondered how these companies that make plastic could be selling something that Vom Saal says is so harmful to the public. He said plastic has been falsely advertised as durable. "That's false. That is what is going to cause the companies that make this chemical to get into a lot of trouble. Sooner or later they're going to hit the wall on this," he said.

Vom Saal is hoping the new presidential administration will create a regulatory agency to oversee food safety. He says right now food safety is controlled by several different agencies and none of them have the funding they need to do the job right. He says the Japanese industries got together and stopped making products containing BPA about 10 years ago and the U.S. is way behind on this safety issue. He wants everything used to package food to include a list of ingredients. He says right now there is no way to tell if the container that holds your soup, cereal or snacks is loaded with bisphenol A and other harmful chemicals. His research has shown those chemicals do leak into the food they are carrying, and it happens to an even greater extent when they are heated. He says plastics also contain flame retardant, which is a known neuro-toxin. Vom Saal said, "There are about 75 thousand people who get sick a year from food related illnesses 4-thousands die every year from food illnesses. There are products that contain bisphenol A in them that are used to package food. That's crazy."

So where are we right now with the safety of plastics? The Science Advisory Panel told the FDA to immediately do another report after they received mis-information a few months ago. The Panel explained the scientific evidence has been done, it just wasn't included in the original report. Vom Saal said, "The FDA said we'll think about this some time in the future."

I don't know about you, but this really opened my eyes! I do try not to use plastic plates to warm up the kid's food. However, I didn't think about the dishwasher. Duh! I am sure my family thinks I am being overly paranoid, but it won't hurt me to be more cautious about what I put in the dishwasher and microwave! Vom Saal also said as more people realize the dangers of BPA and other chemicals, the landfills will be full of this dangerous stuff. Right now, there is no solution to this problem either!

Do you have plastic plates/cups in your home? Do you eat microwavable meals?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Bisphenol A not safe again!

Mommy instinct prevails! Most of you were not convinced bisphenol A is safe in baby bottles and other plastic even though the FDA said otherwise. Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is changing its tune.

From the Washington Post: A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel agreed Friday that the agency had erred in August when it said that a chemical widely used in baby bottles and other plastic packaging for foods and beverages posed no health risks.

On Wednesday, a panel of toxicology experts said the FDA hadn't properly assessed the potential health risks posed by the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which some studies have linked to cancer, diabetes, heart disease and developmental delays in children. The toxicologists said the FDA had relied too heavily on studies funded by the chemical industry to make its decision, and had failed to consider other studies that questioned the safety of BPA.

The panel of toxicologists had been convened by the FDA after the agency ruled that BPA was safe at current exposure levels -- a stance that prompted criticism from some lawmakers and consumer groups. On Friday, the FDA's Science Board, which consists of scientists from academia, government and industry and advises the FDA commissioner, seconded the toxicologists' concerns about the FDA's August ruling. The issue will now go to FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach. It's unclear how the FDA might respond, the Washington Post reported.

"Let me be clear: There's no shame for having" your hypothesis disproved, von Eschenbach said during Friday's session, referring to BPA without mentioning it by name, the Dow Jones news service reported.

The FDA's position on BPA has been controversial because it contradicted more than 100 studies, as well as a finding by the U.S. National Toxicology Program, that there was "some concern" that BPA may affect the brain and behavioral development in fetuses, infants and small children, the Post said.

Norris Alderson, associate commissioner for science at the FDA, toldDow Jonesthat the agency will probably start research early in 2009 to determine the toxic effects of BPA on babies less than 1 month old. Babies are considered the most susceptible group to BPA's effects. It's unclear when those studies would be done, the news service said.

In September, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Associationsaid that people with high levels of BPA were more likely to have heart disease, including heart attack, or diabetes. High BPA levels increased the risk for these diseases by 39 percent, the researchers reported. To learn more about BPA, visit Environment California.

SOURCES: Hugh S. Taylor, M.D., director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; American Chemistry Council, news release, Oct. 31, 2008;Washington Post;Dow Jones

From what I know about this, this is unacceptable. The reason the FDA was looking into bispehol A in the first place is because of those 100 or so studies. So why in the world didn't they look at those studies before saying it was safe? There is no excuse for this. The evidence was there the first time. Why did they do such a poor job assessing the information that existed? Were they just in a hurry or what? I don't like this. If anyone has some insight for me, please share!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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The FDA on BPA

The head of the Food and Drug Administration spoke today about the chemical known as BPA or bisphenol A. It is found in many plastics, including several brands of baby bottles. Animal studies have shown BPA can cause developmental and neurological deficits. The FDA made a statement about the chemical today.

The ABC script is below. I also typed in some verbatim from the news conference. I don't think the head of the FDA said BPA is safe, but many news reports are saying otherwise. To me, it sounds like she is saying there isn't enough BPA in a baby bottle to cause harm as far as she knows, but more research is needed. I guess the ABC reporter took the information differently based on the lead sentence of the story below. I am putting all the information on this blog so you can decide for yourself.

ABC:The head of the Food and Drug Administration Laura Tarantino, said the chemical known as BPA is safe. The chemical is used in plastic baby bottles, and the latest study shows, that exposure to BPA, is linked to diabetes and heart disease. At a hearing in Rockville, Maryland today, Tarantino said however, the FDA will continue to look at more research.

Verbatim from News Conference from Laura Tarantino: "The conclusion is consistent with that of other national regulatory bodies with the responsibility for food packaging. They have concluded upon review of the available information there is not a health risk to consumers including children at current levels of exposure. There's not evidence sufficient to change the determination that the current margains of safety are protective. However, we agree with the findings of NTP and others that the animals studies that suggest a potential for developmental or neuro-behavioral effects cannot be dismissed. We further agree that more research is needed."

How do you interpret this statement from the FDA?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

FDA Declares Bisphenol A Safe

I must say I am surprised by the FDA's findings. Canada has banned Bisphenol A, Wal-Mart no longer sells baby bottles that contain the chemical and several states are involved in lawsuits over it. Here's one scientist who's research found the chemical harmful.

Some people say banning Bisphenol A would hurt companies and lead to fewer products. But if there's even a slight chance it is toxic, I think most parents would lean toward keeping it out kid's products.

According to the Consumerist: The FDA has revisited its earlier studies and reaffirmed that "the trace amounts of Bisphenol A that leach out of food containers are not a threat to infants or adults."

Studies have shown the biggest danger with Bisphenol A leaking into your food is if you heat the product. That's why many parents are only buying BPA free baby bottles and staying away from plastic when heating food in the microwave. Now the FDA says not to worry about it. It's probably too late for that!

Now the question is, did the harmful effects of Bisphenol A get blown out of proportion or is the government protecting companies that would suffer if the chemical were banned?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.