by Dr. Adam Seigers, Medical Health Contributor
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in many plastics, polycarbonate products, water bottles, and can linings.
Nearly 2.2 million tons of this chemical are used to package foods and beverages that we eat every day.
BPA is a chemical well known to be an endocrine disrupter. This means that it behaves like a hormone similar to estrogen or other hormones.In a government funded study in 2007, this chemical was associated with 153 adverse effects.
Too numerous to discuss here, some of these include obesity, prostate cancer, breast cancer, early breast development in adolescents, and thyroid function abnormalities.
So, you might ask, how many of us are actually exposed to this chemical?
Experts would suggest that nearly all of us.
And in special populations, such as pregnant women, exposure to BPA affects genes responsible for the fertility of the newborn. A scary proposition indeed.
So with these changes so well documented, why do you still consume this product daily?
Because according to your government, this food has been historically placed on the so-called generally regarded as safe, or GRAS list.
This jurisdiction essentially allows tens of thousands of food additives like BPA to be innocent until proven guilty.
To avoid BPA look at your food choices.
Do they contain the recycling number three or seven?
If so they probably contain BPA.
When reheating foods, use glass containers instead of plastic, and attempt to minimize your intake of canned foods.
For more information, please contact your primary care provider.
—Dr. Seigers is a physician with Faxton St. Luke’s Adirondack Community Physicians (ACP) Boonville Medical Offices on Rte. 12.
