Scientists recommend getting BPA out of your diet

Concern about the health effects of bisphenol A (BPA) is growing in the scientific community, with a new study linking the toxic chemical to heart disease and a scientific group meeting in Washington D.C. last week recommending people protect themselves by reducing their exposure to BPA.

A new scientific study has linked BPA to a worrisome health effect: heart arrhythmias in women.

According to a story in the Cincinnati Enquirer, a team of scientists at the University of Cincinnati found that normal levels of BPA exposure in lab mice and rats lead to significant increases in heart arrhythmias in the females.

"It looks like BPA will be very harmful to the female heart," said lead researcher by Scott Belcher.

Belcher presented his findings at the D.C. meeting of the Endocrine Society, a group of scientists who study the endocrine system, which regulates hormones in the human body. BPA has such an impact on human health because it is a synthetic version of estrogen and mimics the hormone in the body, disrupting a wide array of bodily systems and wreaking havoc on areas like the reproductive system and the heart.

The society released its first-ever scientific statement at the gathering, saying that BPA and other hormone-disrupting chemicals are a "significant concern for public health," according to a story in USA Today.

There is strong evidence that chemicals that interfere with the hormone system can cause serious health problems, according to a scientific report from the Endocrine Society, now meeting in Washington, D.C. Although scientists still have many questions about the chemicals, the report says that it's important for people to take a "precautionary approach" by reducing their exposures.

The society’s president said the group took the step of taking such a public stand because the health ramifications of BPA exposure “affect everyone,” noting that 93 percent of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their system.

The Food and Drug Administration famously declared BPA to be safe last year, relying exclusively on chemistry-industry-funded studies. With new leadership under the Obama administration and new pressure from Congress, the FDA has announced it is reopening the BPA case. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg told Congress she is putting the agency’s chief acting scientist in charge of the review and expects a new ruling by the end of the summer or early fall.

Meanwhile, states are not waiting for the FDA. Several states have already banned BPA from children’s food and drink containers and California may be the next. An ABC News story notes that a California ban could be the tipping point on BPA, leading to big changes in the way food and beverages are packaged across the U.S.