Drink from plastic bottles can raise the body’s levels
of a controversial ‘gender-bending’ chemical by
more than two thirds, according to tests.
Experts have been concerned about the possible health effects
of bisphenol A (BPA) - an everyday chemical used in many plastic
food and drink containers and tins as well as clear baby bottles
- which is officially classified as toxic in some countries.
A study found that participants who drank for a week from
polycarbonate bottles showed a 69 per cent increase in their
urine of BPA, which mimics the female sex hormone oestrogen.
Researchers did not say how much liquid was drunk per day.
Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health studied 77
students, who had first undergone a seven-day ‘washout’
phase in which they drank all cold beverages from stainless
steel bottles in order to minimise BPA exposure.
(Article continues below)
They were then given two polycarbonate bottles and asked
to drink all cold beverages from them during the next week.
Previous studies have suggested that high levels of BPA consumption
are linked to birth defects, growth problems and an increased
risk of heart disease and diabetes.
