A new CDC analysis demonstrates that when it comes to bisphenol A, EPA's so-called safety standards are woefully inadequate.
The dose EPA considers safe is based on decades-old data. Many scientists have said for years that the number is much too high, but the new CDC analysis shows that common exposure actually exceeds that dangerously high dose.
The analysis looked at samples from more than 2000 Americans and found detectable levels of BPA in 92.6%. The results indicate the continuous exposure of people living in the US to significant levels of BPA. Analysts also found that for many, BPA exposure exceeds the dose the EPA considers to be "safe." In fact, levels in many cases exceeded those known to cause negative health effects in animals.
Other interesting (read: scary) facts from the analysis:
- Children had higher levels of BPA than adolescents, and adolescents in turn had higher levels than adults. That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise -- while adults are primarily exposed through the lining of food cans, babies also have to contend with the lining of formula cans, and many toys designed for children contain BPA.
- Women in the study had higher levels of BPA than men. Although some nail polishes contain BPA, that doesn't seem sufficient to explain women's consistently higher levels. I'll be interested to see what scientists think may be the cause.
Want to know more about BPA? Go to EWG's research, or read how to minimize your exposure.