Study: BPA impairs brain function

A study conducted by the Yale School of Medicine has found that long-term, low levels of exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) impairs brain function and could lead to memory loss, learning difficulties and depression.

Unlike most BPA studies, which are conducted on rodents, this study was conducted on a primate, which gives scientists a better idea of the human impact of BPA exposure. The study gave the primate BPA doses, adjusted for weight, equal to what the EPA says is safe for humans.

What scientists found was that after extended BPA exposure, the primate had lost nerve cell connections in the parts of the brain that control memory, learning and mood.

BPA is a synthetic sex hormone that mimics estrogen in the body. The chemical is used in a broad variety of common products like plastic food containers, plastic wrap, the lining of food and soda cans and plastic baby bottles. BPA is ingested by humans after it leaches into food and drinks from these containers. The study found that, once ingested, the chemical was inhibiting the formation of synapses in the primate’s brain.

“Our primate model indicates that BPA could negatively affect brain function in humans,” said study co-author Tibor Hajszan, M.D., associate research scientist in Yale Ob/Gyn. “Based on these new findings, we think the EPA may wish to consider lowering its ‘safe daily limit’ for human BPA consumption.”

Click here to read more about recent progress in the effort to regulate BPA.