Shortly after the release of a stinging study linking the presence of Bisphenol A (BPA) to an elevated risk of heart disease among Americans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has allotted $30 million to study the health effects of this common, and quite possibly, very harmful chemical used in the production of baby bottles, water bottles and plastic food containers.

In fact, this latest study merely confirmed the findings of earlier research released two years ago by the same team of British scientists who discovered a connection between elevated urinary BPA concentrations and adverse health problems in adults related to obesity, diabetes, liver function and insulin.

Although urinary concentrations of BPA among Americans for the latest study had dropped by nearly a third compared to the previous report, those levels were still linked to a higher prevalence of heart disease among some 3,000 adults (ages 18-74). To put the numbers into perspective, a 60-year-old male whose BPA levels were in the top third has a 10 percent risk of having heart disease.

Despite the dose of reality delivered across the pond from UK researchers, the FDA still supports -- for now -- the use of BPA in bottles, deputy commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein says, "because the benefit of nutrition outweighs the potential risks of BPA." Still, big business has already paid attention to this take-home message long before the feds: Ninety percent of the baby bottles now produced for the American market contain no BPA.

PLOS One January 13, 2010 Free Full Text Study

ScienceDaily January 13, 2010

WebMD January 12, 2010

healthfinder.gov January 15, 2010