Scientists Study Health Risks of Plastic Ingredient

By Melinda Smith
Washington
08 August 2007

Bisphenol A is everywhere. BPA, as it is also called, can be found in the plastic milk bottle used to feed your baby, the cola bottle or food container you pick up for a fast food meal, the kidney dialysis machine patients need to keep them alive, and the dental sealant used to help prevent tooth decay.

A recent study in the journal Reproductive Toxicology raises concerns about adverse effects of BPA in fetal mice, at levels even lower than U.S. government standards permit.

The scientists say widespread exposure through food and liquid containers occurs when the chemical bonds which hold bisphenol A in the plastic degrades. BPA then leaches into the containers.

Frederick vom Saal, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri, says he is concerned about what we absorb and then transmit to our infants. "Very low doses of this – below the amounts that are present in humans. When particularly exposure occurs in fetuses, in fetuses and newborns, you end up with those babies eventually developing prostate cancer, breast cancer – they become hyperactive."

Kimberly Lisack is a mother who wants more information about what she feeds her baby. "I get concerned looking at a lot of the packaged baby foods. It's a lot of chemicals and things I don't know what they are."

Bisphenol A has been produced in polycarbonate plastic for decades. A statement released by the American Chemistry Council says the report is at odds with other international studies that say BPA levels pose no health risks to consumers.

科学家研究塑胶成分带来的健康危害

双酚A到处都存在，也称作BPA。可以在喂养孩子的塑胶牛奶瓶中找到，或者是可乐瓶，用于快餐的食品容器，使病人存活的肾透析机器，还有防止牙腐烂的牙齿密封剂。

刊登在Reproductive Toxicology周刊上的关于胎鼠中的BPA带来不良影响的最新研究引起广泛关注，比美国政府规定的标准许可还要低。

科学家表示当塑胶中含有双酚A的化学键退化时就会通过食品和液体容器广泛暴露。然后BPA便过滤到容器里面。

密苏里大学的生物学教授Frederick vom Saal说，他关心的是我们吸收的东西，然后遗传给我们的孩子。“这种药量非常小，比存在人体中的数量小。特别是当它出现在胎儿和新生儿中时他们变得极度活跃，孩子会最终患前列腺癌或乳癌。”

Kimberly Lisack是一位孩子的母亲，想知道关于喂养孩子什么东西的更多信息。“我对很多包裹的儿童食品非常关心。它们含有很多化学成分和一些我们不知道的东西。”

用Bisphenol A制作聚碳酸酯塑胶已经很多年了。美国化学委员会的一项声明表示此报告与其他的国际研究很不一致，它们认为BPA对消费者是没有健康危害的。