Plastic Ingredient a Health Hazard?

A common chemical in food and beverage containers could be harming
human health, even at very low levels of exposure. That’s the
consensus of a panel of 38 scientists convened by the National
Institutes of Health. Rebecca Williams reports the panel reviewed more
than 700 research studies:

Transcript

A common chemical in food and beverage containers could be harming
human health, even at very low levels of exposure. That’s the
consensus of a panel of 38 scientists convened by the National
Institutes of Health. Rebecca Williams reports the panel reviewed more
than 700 research studies:


The chemical’s called bisphenol A. It’s in everything from the lining
of metal food and drink cans to baby bottles and toys. The bisphenol A
industry says its products pose no risk to human health.


But a new scientific assessment says there could be risks to people.
It was just published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. Fred vom
Saal is the lead author. He says the levels of bisphenol A in people’s
blood routinely exceed the federal government’s safe exposure level:


“These blood levels are above the levels found in the blood of
experimental animals that result in wide range of adverse effects on
the brain, the reproductive system, the endocrine system and the immune
system.”


vom Saal says the science panel agrees there’s enough evidence to
suggest the chemical could be a problem for humans.


For the Environment Report, I’m Rebecca Williams.

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