The Essentia Blog

While people have been grumbling about the ineffectual nature and corporate interests of the FDA for decades, nothing could have pushed their lack of interest in the health of the American public to the forefront like their latest defense of BPA. Recently they discredited their own findings and are finally starting to come around to the fact that BPA may actually be dangerous.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, BPA, or Bisphenol A, is used widely as a preserving agent in canned foods. It also leeches out of plastic commonly used in food storage containers and bottles.  Health Canada banned Bisphenol A from baby bottles earlier this year due to findings that it is a proven endocrine disruptor and can cause developmental delays in infants.   Until the FDA comes around to what consumers already know, it is up to you to police your own BPA consumption.

Tips to reduce BPA:
- Avoid plastics and other containers with #7 and #3 in the recycling symbol.
- Never microwave food in #7 or #3 containers.  Place the food on a plate and microwave it.
- Reduce or eliminate use of canned foods.
- Replace your plastic exercise water bottle with glass or steel.
- Replace baby bottles with glass or BPA-free baby bottles.

The debate over Bisphenol A can finally be laid to rest - a joint study between four universities has effectively linked Bisphenol A to heart disease and diabetes in adults.  The research paper marks the first time that evidence has been presented effectively in the case against Bisphenol A.

Opponents of bottled water have maintained that this chemical is harmful to adults and children.  Some states have banned Bisphenol A from baby bottles because its effects on infants have been proven.  Professor David Meltzer, leader of the team, commented that:  “Our study has revealed, for the first time, an association between raised BPA loads and two common diseases in adults. At the moment we can’t be absolutely sure that BPA is the direct cause of the extra cases of heart disease and diabetes: if it is, some cases of these serious conditions could be prevented by reducing BPA exposure. This is therefore an exciting finding, but it is also just the first step in understanding the role of BPA.”