In an article published on July 21, 2015 by the digital edition of The Guardian, journalist Amy Westervelt reports on a new study investigating exposure to endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) from air and surface water. The peer-reviewed study was published on April 25, 2015 in the journal Science of The Total Environment. Christopher D. Kassotis and colleagues from the University of Missouri, U.S., and the U.S. Geological Survey found high concentrations of BPA in air and surface water near plastic manufacturing and wastewater treatment sites. The study’s findings are concerning as aerial exposure to BPA cannot be avoided and adds to the overall level of BPA exposure, Westervelt writes. People could also be exposed to BPA in surface waters when swimming, playing or fishing in them, according to Kassotis. As more than half of the drinking water in the U.S. comes from surface water, BPA could end up in drinking water too, Kassotis further explains. The study’s findings challenge the opinions of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), according to which BPA is safe at current exposure levels considering mainly exposure via food and drink. Inhalation of BPA or absorption via skin could have a greater biological effect than oral ingestion, Kassotis claims.
BPA is commonly found in plastic food packaging, food and beverage cans and thermal paper receipts. A study published by Health Canada in May 2015 showed that BPA-glucuronide – a BPA-metabolite in the human body – is biologically active and a potential obesogen (FPF reported).
Read more
Amy Westervelt (July 21, 2015). “We’re exposed to hormone-disrupting BPA just by breathing.” The Guardian
Reference
Kassotis, C. D. et al. (2015). “Characterization of Missouri surface waters near point sources of pollution reveals potential novel atmospheric route of exposure for bisphenol A and wastewater hormonal activity pattern.” Science of The Total Environment 524-525:384-393.
