Health & Medicine - Posted by Karen Peart-Yale on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 12:28 - 14 Comments 
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(5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5) Loading ...BPA in plastic permanently alters uterus
Above, molecular model of bisphenol A (BPA), an organic compound found in plastics and plastic additives. A new study shows that BPA exposure permanently affects sensitivity to estrogen. Hugh Taylor says that exposure to BPA as a fetus is carried throughout adulthood. “What our mothers were exposed to in pregnancy may influence the rest of our lives.
YALE (US)—Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a common component of plastics, causes permanent abnormalities in the uterus of offspring, including alteration in their DNA, new research shows.
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The study is the first to show that BPA exposure permanently affects sensitivity to estrogen. Details are reported in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
Hugh Taylor, professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, at Yale University and his team used two groups of mice—one exposed to BPA as a fetus during pregnancy and another exposed to a placebo.
They examined gene expression and the amount of DNA modification in the uterus and found that the mice exposed to BPA as a fetus had an exaggerated response to estrogens as adults, long after the exposure to BPA.
The genes were permanently programmed to respond excessively to estrogen.
“The DNA in the uterus was modified by loss of methyl groups so that it responded abnormally in adulthood,” says Taylor.
“The gene expression was permanently epigenetically altered and the uterus became hyper-responsive to estrogens.”
Taylor says that exposure to BPA as a fetus is carried throughout adulthood. “What our mothers were exposed to in pregnancy may influence the rest of our lives.
“We need to better identify the effect of environmental contaminants on not just crude measures such as birth defects, but also their effect in causing more subtle developmental errors.”
Yale University news: http://opa.yale.edu/
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14 Comments
Bart
Lou
The study was just released, of course it has not be peer reviewed. It was just published in march- The FASEB Journal (Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) Vol. 24, Issue 3 (March 2010). And just like the mercury situation, its no secret that BPA is not good for you, the question is how much is enough to be harmful. Although baby’s weren’t sucking their microwaved milk out of a bottle containing mercury. When it comes to our children’s future is it not better to be safe than sorry?
dnarom
To Lou:
You say “The study was just released, of course it has not be peer reviewed. It was just published in march- The FASEB Journal (Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) Vol. 24, Issue 3 (March 2010).”
Most studies are published in PEER-REVIEWED journals. Publication is a sign that the study has been peer reviewed.
really nice article thank you
Great article. I wonder the percentage of women who know of this.
Nancy
BUT, as we all know, rodents and primates metabolize BPA differently. Primates render it non estrogenic within 6 hours. It never makes it beyond the liver. In rodents, unconjugated BPA makes it into the blood stream. We should therefore be cautious about drawing conclusions about humans on the basis of this study. We should also take Yale’s primate study on BPA with a grain of salt since BPA was injected into tissue rather than fed to animals. This meant the BPA was never metabolized. While it is useful to know what estrogenic BPA would do if it got into our blood stream it does not mean exposure to BPA via an oral route will lead to similar results. There may be excpetions to this but frankly this issue is so politicized that I really don’t know how we even begin to address this situation. When scientists accuse other scientists of being paid off simply because they can’t replicate results or exercise some skepticism, there is a serious problem.
Polina
Nancy, can you please direct me to some articles that discuss the differences in metabolization of BPA?
im a student at lakeridge high school in lake oswego, Oregon.. I’m doing an english essay on not reusing plastic bottles for the health risk of BPA. Are there any real life cases where someone did fall victim to BPA? that i could use in my essay ? thanks so much it would be so helpful !
Nice article !
really nice article thanks
very well written article.
great.I am medical student at punjab technical university.Your info is very helpful
With a good portion of our food supply being stored in plastic it is very important that people are made aware of this important information. Also the fact that bottled water has become so prevalent.
The effects of BPA on estrogen are just one way the body is negatively effected. Unfortunately, the media seems to be letting the issue go when it is a serious health issue.
THis does not seem to be a peer reviewed study.
Therefore any conclusions are not worth the electrons it is printed with.
Remember Mercury and autism.
The authors here seem to be going down same road.