Research Shows Bisphenol A Disrupts Hormone System

New research on mice reported in the scientific journal

Nature (21 October 1999) shows that

Bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in producing polycarbonate plastic,

causes premature puberty and adolescent weight gain. Bisphenol A is one of a number of chemicals suspected of being an “endocrine disrupter”—a class of chemicals thought to disrupt the hormone system in humans and wildlife species, usually by mimicking estrogen (see review of

Our Stolen Future in

EBN

Vol. 5, No. 6). Pregnant mice were fed oil containing Bisphenol A at levels humans are typically exposed to. At weaning (22 days after birth), mice fed Bisphenol A experienced more than 20% greater weight gain than control mice and reached puberty significantly earlier. The implication of this research is that some of the weight gain problems and the dropping age of puberty in adolescents may be the result of exposure to Bisphenol A. Polycarbonate, produced with Bisphenol A, is widely used in baby bottles, the inner linings of tin cans, certain food storage containers, sealers used on children’s teeth, and highly durable plastic glazings. Bisphenol A has been shown to leach out of polycarbonate over time at a rate that increases with repeated use.