Bisphenol A: contested science, divergent safety evaluations

Gies, AndreasSoto, Ana M.2024-06-162024-06-162013https://doi.org/10.60810/openumwelt-898https://openumwelt.de/handle/123456789/9338Bisphenol A (BPA) is currently one of the world's best-selling chemicals and primarily used to make polycarbonate plastics. It is widely used in common products such as baby bottles, household electronics, medical devices and coatings on food containers. BPA is known to mimic the female hormone oestrogen and has been found to leach from the materials where it is used. Studies have suggested that even exposure to low doses of BPA may cause endocrine disrupting effects. As with other hormones, it appears that an organism is most sensitive during development but that effects are often not observed until much later in the lifecycle. This means that at the time when the effects become detectable, the chemical exposure has vanished. This makes it extremely difficult to link exposure to effects in humans. This chapter maps some of the findings in studies of rodents and humans. It also discusses the challenges of evaluating scientific findings in a field where industry-sponsored studies and independent scientific research seem to deviate strongly. The authors offer suggestions for ways to uncouple financial interests from scientific research and testing. A widely used and dispersed industrial chemical like Bisphenol A is a controversial example of an endocrine disrupting substance that has implications for policymakers. Different approaches to risk assessment for BPA by US and European authorities are presented. It throws light on the ways in which similar evidence is evaluated differently in different risk assessments and presents challenges for applying the precautionary principle. The intense discussion and scientific work on BPA have slowly contributed to a process of improving test strategies. While traditional toxicology has relied on a monotonic increasing doseresponse relationship as evidence that the effect is caused by the test agent, studies on BPA and other endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs) have demonstrated the limitations of this approach and adjustments have been made in some cases. It has also been widely accepted that effects cannot be predicted by simply thinking of BPA as a weak oestrogen and extrapolating from what is observed for more potent endogenous oestrogens. This lesson is particularly evident in the intense pharmaceutical interest in selective oestrogen response modifiers (SERMs). The chapter is followed by a panel analysing the value of animal testing for identifyingcarcinogens Quelle: Late lessons from early warnings: science, precaution, innovation / Part A - Lessons from health hazards/ Chapter 10enghttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Bisphenol A: contested science, divergent safety evaluationsTeil eines Buches