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By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com Guide to Nutrition since 2004

Do You Worry About BPA?

Monday June 15, 2009
BPA FreeBPA is bisphenol A, a substance found in hard plastic items like some food storage containers and plastic baby bottles. In large amounts, BPA is toxic and exposing those plastic items to heat increases the amount of BPA released, which can be absorbed into food, liquids they contain. Last year, the FDA decided that the amount of BPA that we are normally exposed to every day is not enough to cause any harm.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the FDA is going to review their earlier decision, and on their website, the FDA acknowledges parents' concerns with plastic baby bottles, although they have not indicated there is any danger to infants.

Recently, the University of Cincinnati published an article entitled "BPA May Cause Heart Disease in Women, Research Shows." But I think the title is mostly a monster-under-the-bed kind of a thing, since the research had nothing to do with women - the study involved exposing cells from the hearts of female rats to BPA.

What do you think about BPA? Personally, I don't lose any sleep over it because I usually don't use plastic containers that are exposed to heat - I prefer glass containers. If you do avoid BPA, there are plenty of products available that are BPA-free.

Today's Nutrition Tip

Image © David McNew/Getty Images

Comments

June 17, 2009 at 10:29 am
(1) Collie says:

I can tell you the ’scare’ is all the rage here in France, with regular spots on the radio and TV warning parents of plastic baby bottles. The problem stems from the fact that Breast feeding is largely a no no for french women so babies are exposed to the risk early and often.

June 17, 2009 at 11:46 am
(2) Vernon says:

I asked to be removed from emails since the recent one said about this and many want people to be paranoid about what they eat, drink and breath, some concern should be very healthy, but if I listened to what the FDA For Depending America, I would have to throw everything I got at the store so I am leary of more foods and I am afraid of trying Pistachios since they made them illegal since they said they had E-Cola and Salmon and since I can’t afford them either. I would love them to get this all done right quickly.

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