Bisphenol-A

[snousle]

Some recent research concerning the effects of bisphenol-A have caught my attention. This is something potentially very big. I'm not sure the general public has the ability to discriminate between risk exposures that are pretty decisively harmless - like thimerosal in vaccines, or low frequency electromagnetic radiation - and things where the research really does suggest an as-yet unappreciated risk. I'm thinking this is in the latter category.

The trouble with the debates these things generate is that, on any scientific question that is at all controversial, the evidence on both sides will seem quite compelling. A few years back, I spent quite a bit of time reading about the DDT controversy and how it unfolded. As Barbie might say, "Toxicology is Hard!". Just being a little bit selective in your examination of research would lead you to entirely opposite conclusions, because its effects, though pronounced, were spotty and hard to nail down. Once it was recognized that only birds of prey were affected, the situation became much clearer.

The research on bisphenol-A paints a picture of a compound that could be having observable effects in a lot of people at exposures that are common in the US population. It has been correlated with insulin resistance and heart disease. Curiously, it may also be a compound where its effects at low doses are the reverse of the high-dose effect; Science News sadly does not have the graph available on its web site, but this site discusses the general issue of non-monotonic responses with reference to bisphenol-A in particular. This is a theme that is also very relevant to John's work in tracing compounds at very low concentrations, well below the range of the most sensitive chemical tests. Low doses of compounds might be following entirely different metabolic paths from higher ones.

If Wikipedia interests you it's also worth checking out the article on this subject - it's a good case study of the strengths and weaknesses of that site. On the plus side, I appreciate how adherence to the Wiki principles has resulted in what an encyclopedia article should be, a collection of relevant and useful facts without much in the way of interpretation. However, despite this being an extremely useful industrial chemical, the article says relatively little about what it's actually used for, and dwells almost entirely on the one aspect of it that happens to be controversial. This seems less than ideal. The talk page is also very interesting, if you're into the nitty gritty of how these things unfold.

Anyway... I dunno if this is all on the evening news yet but it might be soon.

Comments

[gloeden.livejournal.com]

Great.

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

While I agree that the thimerosal thing was overblown - I do think any avoidable exposure to mercury is better avoided... and since all it takes in the case of vaccines are single-dose units instead of multi-dose packaging....

My sore point in this area - especially since my diabetes diagnosis - are the ninnies who insist on inventing bullshit about aspartame and sucralose.

And indeed - quantity matters. After the scare caused by the massive overload tests back when, we still don't use cyclamate here in the USA - while a more rational review of it has led to it being used in many other countries, including Canada.

[furrbear.livejournal.com]

It was on my evening news, but then I listen to All Things Considered.

Dean (envirobear) and I were discussing this last month that this is the sort of thing that just might turn into the smoking gun (or at least one of them) behind the current epidemic levels of diabetes and a possibly having a causal effect on obesity levels.

[envirobear.livejournal.com]

The way that diabetes and obesity have exploded has always suggested to me (anecdotally) that there is *something* ubiquitous that is causal. And bisphenol-A is ubiquitous. I agree with you, Tony...this is something is potentially VERY big, and it has the capability of re-calibrating a lot of consumer packaging and, obviously, medical issues. It will be very interesting to see how this unfolds, and if there is indeed a connection between it and the effects there appear to be...it will be more interesting to see if the effects are reversible if bisphenol-A is removed. I have an idea that this has the potential to have enormous environmental effects, too.

[mellowtigger]

I'm still wondering, though, if it's merely coincidental correlation. What if the people who have greater exposure (through frozen foods, canned sodas, etc) are getting diabetes because of their bad diet, and the bisphenol-A content in their blood is just a good indicator of the relative (un)health of their diet source?

[snousle.livejournal.com]

That's always a possibility, that's why these things are so hard to figure out!

[urbear]

The issue has become visible to the general public. I can think of no better proof than the fact that yesterday I saw a plastic container on a local pharmacy's shelf whose packaging proudly proclaimed it to be BISPHENOL FREE!!

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the last time I was in REI, lots of the plastic drinking bottles &c. had some language on them about being Bisphenol-A free.

[stivalineri.livejournal.com]

I switched to glass containers a year ago for storing food leftovers. Partly because of the bisphenol information but mostly because it's easier to keep them clean. Ikea has some good glass refrigerator containers.