BPA—also known as bisphenol A, a highly ubiquitous plastics chemical with estrogenic properties, is tied to increased miscarriage risks, according to recently released research.
The findings were announced in Boston at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s (ASRM) annual meeting and found that women who had the highest levels of BPA in their blood also had a significantly increased likelihood of miscarrying when compared to women who tested with the lowest levels, according to DigTriad.com.
“Many studies on environmental contaminants’ impact on reproductive capacity have been focused on infertility patients and it is clear that high levels of exposure affect them negatively,” said Dr. Linda Giudice, president of ASRM, in a statement, DigTriad.com wrote. “These studies extend our observations to the general population and show that these chemicals are a cause for concern to all of us.”
BPA is banned in both Canada and the European Union. In the United States, BPA is banned from sippy cups and baby bottles. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused to approve a BPA ban, according to DigTriad.com.
The research revealed that the risk for miscarriage increased with higher BPA levels. “The association identified with miscarriages is biologically plausible, and of great concern,” Dr. Leo Trasande, an associate professor of pediatrics and environmental medicine at the NYU Langone School of Medicine, told CBSNews.com via email. “While further study is needed, the findings add to the case for revisiting the decision by FDA not to ban BPA in food uses,” Dr. Trasande added, DigTriad.com reported. Dr. Trasande’s research has also found that BPA exposure is associated with increased risks for childhood obesity, as well as increased risk factors for heart and kidney disease in children and teenagers.
ASRM and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) collaboratively published a statement in September that asked doctors to increase awareness in pregnant women about environmental toxins and how to avoid those toxins. The groups also sought policy changes, according to DigTriad.com. “Lawmakers should require the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and industry to define and estimate the dangers that aggregate exposure to harmful chemicals pose to pregnant women, infants, and children and act to protect these vulnerable populations,” Dr. Jeanne A. Conry, president of ACOG, said last month.
A ubiquitous phenol-acetone chemical, BPA is also an anti-androgen, which means that the chemical blocks hormone activity. BPA is an estrogenic mimicker and a hormone disrupter that has been linked to chromosomal damage and egg development disruption in lab studies. BPA leeches from food and beverage containers into foods and also leaches into the skin and into products—regardless of their temperature—from common items (paper money, toilet paper, receipts).
BPA is also known to interrupt sexual development and processes, specifically in developing fetuses, infants, children, and teens; the chemical’s links to reproductive system diseases are staggering and impact fetal development, likely due to its hormone-mimicking and -blocking properties. BPA has effects on uterine health and mammalian reproduction; a deadly uterine infection; premature puberty; Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and other female fertility and endocrine issues; and erectile dysfunction and male sexual problems, to name some. BPA’s effects are immediate, as well as long lasting and trans-generational, which means that the effects of BPA could continue for years into the future; BPA’s effects on past generations could also harm future generations.
Plastics containing recycle codes 3 or 7 contain BPA. Hot liquids should not be put in these containers, according to the FDA, wrote DigTriad.com. Also, bottles containing BPA that are scratched should be discarded—they may contain bacteria that increases the release of BPA, the FDA indicated.