Most Canadians in Study Test Positive For BPA

More than 90 percent of people, aged between six to 79, tested positive for the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine, according to a recently released Canadian Health Measures Survey that was conduced by Statistics Canada.

More than 90 percent of people, aged between six to 79, tested positive for the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine, according to a recently released Canadian Health Measures Survey that was conduced by Statistics Canada. The federal study conducted, between 2007 and 2009, analyzed blood and urine samples on 5,600 Canadian citizens for indicators of more than 80 environmental contaminants and chemical substances.

The study also revealed that concentrations of BPA in urine were higher for children aged 6 to 11 than they were for adults aged 40 to 79. The highest concentrations were identified in teenage children.

BPA is an industrial chemical that some scientists say damages human health and disrupts hormones by mimicking estrogen in the in the human body, adversely effecting the reproductive and nervous systems.

BPA made headlines two years ago when reports indicated it was present in plastic bottles, most commonly baby bottles and water bottles. BPA also is common in plastics, particularly in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It can be found in cell phones, computer keyboards, plastic bowls and utensils and even in airborne dust. But the most common source of BPA in as an epoxy resin in the liners of metal food cans. Researchers claim BPA in food cans leaches into the food.

Supporters of BPA claim that the chemical is safe to use in food and beverage packaging.

In the United States , Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has vowed to include her amendment banning BPA from children's food and drink containers after negotiators reached a bipartisan deal on food safety legislation that lacked limits on the controversial chemical.

The food safety agreement paves the way for Senate floor debate on the measure, which would broadly expand the Food and Drug Administration's powers to inspect products and remove tainted items from the market. The debate over how to address BPA is one of several politically volatile issues that had slowed progress on the bill after its House passage last year.

Feinstein participated in talks on the BPA issue, she said in a statement, but after senior members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released the text of an agreement without language on the chemical, she decided to move forward with an amendment.

FDA announced in January that it would conduct a new review of BPA's health effects, stating "some concern" about its effect on infants and children. That review is not expected to conclude until next year at the earliest.

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