New study confirms that bisphenol A can mess with animal genetics
Know what time it is? It’s time to check in on bisphenol A, the chemical in many plastics that gets creepier by the day. Despite continuing claims by the chemical industry that products containing the compound — which can include baby bottles, water bottles, toys, dental sealants, and food containers — pose no health risk, a spate of recent studies suggests otherwise. A team from Duke University found that bisphenol A exposure in the womb put little mice babies at greater risk for obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Their results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, don’t draw conclusions about human health, but they say the risks to humans should be reassessed. Meanwhile, in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, a team of 38 U.S. researchers says the estrogen-mimicking chemical is present in “virtually everybody” in the developed world, sometimes at levels shown to be dangerous in lab animals. The good news: the Duke team says folic acid offers protection. Eat that spinach!
