Sep

When I first heard about the debate over using plastic containers for food, I thought I must have caught breaking news from the 1970s. But no, there really is a debate about whether bisphenol A (BPA) is safe. BPA is a chemical found in the plastic containers used to store food, such as baby bottles and conveniences food containers. So if it’s unsafe, that’s a big problem.

And right now, the FDA has approved the use of BPA in food plastics. Chances are, you’ve got lots of BPA plastic in your kitchen right now. So, what’s the problem? It turns out that the controversy over BPA has been raging for quite a while, but this latest round is due to a study recently released by JAMA. This study found “an association between higher levels of urinary BPA and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities” (see Medical News Today).

My understanding is that the study just found a correlation between the BPA in urine and detrimental medical conditions. The correlation is interesting, but proving causation will be much more difficult. My question for the researchers: How do we know that the medical conditions, particularly the type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease were not caused by the foods these people were eating, rather than the presence of BPA in those foods? BPA is more likely to be found in prepackaged foods, and prepackaged foods are generally less healthy than say, green beans from the produce section. So it seems logical that someone who has eaten more packaged foods and less green beans would be more likely to have diabetes.

While the scientists debate the issue, I think I will reheat my foods in glass containers, and maybe I’ll try to eat a few more green beans.

2 Comments »

1. 

   This post caught my attention because it has been something I have researched for several years. Companies like Gerber and Avent have been labeling their baby bottles “no BPAs” for about a year now. My mother always insisted that we never reheat food in plastic. Interesting how it seems to be coming to public attention again.

   Comment by Rebekah Waggoner — September 24, 2008 @ 5:13 pm

2. 

   Thanks for your comment, Beka! If this issue stays before the public, companies will probably eliminate BPA just for market reasons. I’m glad to hear about the baby bottles. I don’t need them yet, but when the time comes, I wouldn’t want to take a chance on something that could be harmful.

   Comment by Ashley — September 24, 2008 @ 9:19 pm

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