A new study published on February 4, 2014 in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Toxicological Sciences did not find health effects of low dose bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in Sprague-Dawley rats (Delclos et al. 2014). While the scientists from the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected lower body weight, abnormal female reproductive development and changes in hormone levels in highly exposed rats, none of these effects were found in the low dose groups. Delclos and colleagues concluded that according to their experiment there are no effects different from normal background variation at doses from 2.5 to 2,700 μg/kg body weight/day.
In an article published February 13, 2013 by the online news agent Environmental Health News Laura Vandenberg, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, U.S., is cited considering the study flawed. Due to its limitation to 90 days, the study was unable to assess disease development later in life. Also, not all relevant endpoints, such as the developing brain were considered. Further, Delclos and colleagues measured equally high blood BPA levels in their controls as the lowest dose group and concluded that this calls into question the relevance of positive findings reported by other studies. Vandenberg points out, that the lack of an effective control group, precludes conclusions based on the higher dose groups and stresses that other studies have been able to keep their controls clean from contamination. Joe Braun, epidemiologist and visiting scientist at Harvard University, adds in the article that FDA research should investigate whether BPA exposure may cause neurological effects, as indicated by other research.
Read more
Brian Bienkowsky (February, 13 2014). “New BPA experiment finds no low-dose effects, FDA says.” Environmental Health News.
Reference
Delclos, K.B. et al. (2014). “Toxicity evaluation of bisphenol A administered by gavage to Sprague-Dawley rats from gestation day 6 through postnatal day 90.” Toxicological Sciences (published online February 3, 2014).
