Study Links Common Plastic to Birth Defects

Reuters via Yahoo! News ^ | 3/31/03 | Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A common ingredient used to make plastics such as baby bottles causes birth defects in mice -- defects that could also occur in people, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

They urged more research into the potential effects of bisphenol A, a chemical long criticized by environmentalists as being a hormone disruptor that could cause defects in embryos.

The defects they found, when they occur in humans, can cause miscarriages or mental retardation such as Down Syndrome -- and they seem to be caused at what were considered to be low levels of exposure, the researchers report in the journal Current Biology.

The discovery came by accident, Patricia Hunt and colleagues at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio report.

Her team first noted a higher than normal increase in abnormalities in developing egg cells in female mice.

"We were looking at the processes as cells start to undergo division," Hunt, a geneticist, said in a telephone interview.

"The chromosomes are supposed to line up in an orderly fashion so they can divide in an orderly fashion. What we saw was a tremendous increase in the number of cells in which the alignment of chromosomes in the cells were not orderly at all -- they were very disorderly."

In the mice they were studying this only usually happens 2 percent of the time, but Hunt's team said 40 percent of the eggs were developing these problems.

They spent weeks looking for the cause.

"Nothing turned up. But ... I noticed that the plastic cages looked kind of the worst for wear," Hunt said.

It turned out that a harsh detergent used to clean the cages had broken down the plastic, releasing bisphenol A.

Hunt's team deliberately exposed mice to small amounts of bisphenol A for short periods of time and found the abnormalities increased again.

CHEMICALS THAT DISRUPT HORMONES

Many labs are studying the effects of bisphenol A and other chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors -- affecting the actions of hormones in the body. Some scientists fear that developing fetuses and young children are especially vulnerable to these effects.

"Pat Hunt hasn't shown damage in fetuses yet, but it has to be a subject of concern," said Fred vom Saal, an expert on the effects of toxins on reproduction at the University of Missouri.

"Bisphenol A is one of the most commonly used plastic materials in food containers, in beverage containers. This is a ubiquitous chemical ... at least in the developed world. It is one of the top 50 chemicals in production."

Hunt, who studies the effects of aging on egg cells and fertility, said she was not even looking for chemical influences. "That's one of the things I think makes our study unusual," she said.

While the study says nothing about the effects of bisphenol A in humans, Hunt said there is reason to believe they would be similar. The changes in the mice cause aneuploidy -- a misalignment of the chromosomes that is seen in human birth defects and miscarriages.

"You don't wait to prove that it does that in people before you take some regulatory action," Vom Saal said, adding that he hopes Congress may now agree to fund more studies on the effects of bisphenol A.

"We are talking about these mice essentially drinking out of old baby bottles," Vom Saal said -- noting that hard plastic containers like bottles start leaching bisphenol A when they begin to look cracked or etched.

He urged the chemical industry to make more plastic products that do not contain bisphenol A.

Some of the funding for the study came from the industry-supported American Chemistry Council via the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences.

[Timesink]

Note to self: Stop feeding plastic to kids.

[jimkress]

[WIladyconservative]

Just keep repeating - Correlation does not equal causation . . .

[Chesner]

It's a good thing we have wonderful leaders like John Edwards who will get to the bottom of this (as well as make a bucket of cash for himself and other ambulance chasers).

[Arthur McGowan]

It is NOT, repeat, NOT a good idea to COOK or HEAT food in plastic containers. Of course, this never happened before the spread of microwave ovens.

[Just mythoughts]

Since the test results are not given hard to say for sure.

However, water tested, taken from a garden hose will show plastic contaminates. So plastic contaminates do leach into liquids when in plastic containers. As noted in the article age of the plastic containers seems to be releasing the contaminates that are of concerned.

[lawdude]

"...can cause miscarriages or mental retardation such as Down Syndrome..."

That's alright. Many of the mentally retarded go on to become ENVIRONMENTALISTS!!!!!

[cinFLA]

"A common ingredient used to make plastics such as baby bottles causes birth defects in mice -- defects that could also occur in people, U.S. researchers said on Monday."

However if you read the article you will find out otherwise.

[cinFLA]

As noted in the article age of the plastic containers seems to be releasing the contaminates that are of concerned.

Only when using the harsh cleaners.

[cinFLA]

It is NOT, repeat, NOT a good idea to COOK or HEAT food in plastic containers

Why not?

[conservagrrrl]

jimkress:

Thank you for that little cartoonish burst of a laugh that I enjoyed because of your little graphic. I loved that.

WIladyconservative: (love your moniker!)

You are so totally right on that. My first statistics prof hammered that point home many times to us and thanks to her, I know better.

Anyway, I was fed formula that was warmed up in plastic baby bottles when I was a babe in arms and it didn't do a thing to me aside from giving me a reason to burp, and I couldn't tell you how many times I warmed up leftovers stored in a plastic container in the microwave and that only served to teach me a bad example of what constitutes cooking. I'm not kidding -- the only things I knew how to "cook" until I turned 18 were Hamburger Helper, stovetop popcorn, and scrambled eggs.

*sneaks back to homework*

[Just mythoughts]

Baby bottles are supposed to sterilized, that takes boiling water which also breaks down plastic.

Since lab tests do show plastic contaminates from a garden hose that has been allowed to flow for a couple of minutes, this report is not out of the realm of possibility.

[Jeff Chandler]

>>Baby bottles are supposed to sterilized, that takes boiling water which also breaks down plastic. <<

I don't know of anyone who has boiled their baby bottles in the last 30 years.

[Jeff Chandler]

People just wash baby bottles like any other dishes.

[Sloth]

Plastics, styrofoam, etc. can leach plasticizers into food... but it would take a lot more than one or two studies to make me worry about it, as compared to other risks like getting hit by lightning or having O.J. Simpson stab me to death.

[Dasaji]

I have a friend who is an engineer and designs products that use different kinds of plastics...a few years ago when warnings were coming out about using plastic cups, dishes, utensils, etc. because of, what I assume is the same stuff coming out, he nonchalantly answered, "Oh yeah, scientists have known about that for years." Like it was no big deal. (he doesn't get too upset about things).

However, this was enough for me to ditch the plastic kids dinnerware and *nothing* gets cooked in the microwave if it's in a plastic container.

[Just mythoughts]

Today baby bottles typically have plastic bags that fit into plastic bottles. Some plactic bottles can still be bought, but rarely glass bottles.

What temperature does a dish washer wash dishes and how high is the heat when it dries.

Call your local water supply district ask them what is the acceptable levels of plastic contaminates in water.

Problem with the environmental movement there is a lunatic fringe that discredits the whole. Do a little research yourself and you will indeed find from credible labs like at the EPA in fact plastic contaminates do in fact leach into the liquid.

[KneelBeforeZod]

sure, laugh it off. That's what they want you to do...

[KneelBeforeZod]

all I know is keep your melamine out of the microwave.