Transcript BPA_Baby_Bottles_Final

BPA, Baby Bottles and
prevention of cancer
Dr Carl Albrecht
Head of Research
11 August 2010
What is this all about?
Clash of ideas
What are the opposing ideas?
Pro-BPA
Anti-BPA
• BPA is a valuable chemical,
used widely, and poses no
health danger to mankind
• BPA is a dangerous chemical
that should be banned,
especially where it is a
contamination threat to
babies
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a manmade chemical
Small
Symmetric
White
powder
BPA binds to oestrogen receptor
BPA + Order = Chaos (Cancer)
Unregulated, haphazard
process
BPA is an EDC
Endocrine
Disrupting
Compound
Happens at very low
concentrations –ng/ml
Highly regulated process
DES was given to pregnant women
rather than BPA (because it is more
active)
BPA – Bisphenol A
DES - Diethylstibesterol
Note how similar
BPA and DES are.
DES was given to 7 million pregnant
women for 40 years to prevent
miscarriages before it was discovered that
DES causes vaginal cancer in the daughters
Effect of a low dose of BPA on
breast tissue
Control milk duct in mouse breast
tissue
Mice treated with 25 ng BPA/kg body
weight per day
25 ng is 1000-times lower than the FDA safety
limit of 25 ug.
92% Americans have BPA in
their blood.
BPA has been linked to:
• Increased breast cancer risk
• Increased prostate cancer risk
• Early puberty
• Diabetes
• Brain dysfunction
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Heart disease
• Infertility in males and females
• Obesity
25 % of all
cancers
Conclusion
Endocrine disrupting compounds such as
DES and BPA (proven and possible
cancer threat respectively) must be
avoided especially during pregnancy
and in 0-3 year old children
The danger of man-made endocrine disrupting
compounds – “a spanner in the works”.
LIVING
SYSTEMS
Endocrine
Disrupting
Compounds
Chaos
…cancer
POLYCARBONATE ENTERS THE
PICTURE
Discovered that BPA-carbonates when
strung together form polycarbonate.
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Heat resistant
Impact resistant
Shatterproof
Clear
Easily worked
Easily moulded
Easily thermoformed
Anatomy of Polycarbonate
BPA carbonate
Polycarbonate
Free BPA - plasticiser
Other items where
polycarbonate or BPA is used
The Penny Drops….there is BPA in the baby
bottle!
The Baby
Bottle
seems so
innocent!
World-wide rejection of BPA
in Baby Bottles
PC
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•
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Canada
Denmark
France
Various US States
Why are children (0-3 yrs) more
susceptible to BPA?
1. Brains still developing
2. Lack enzymes to
inactivate BPA
3. Eat ten-times more than
adults per day per body
weight than adults
Is the Baby Bottle the Tipping
Point against man-made chemical
carcinogens?
Summary
• CANSA has studied the pro- and anti-BPA scientific
evidence over the past three years and is convinced
that BPA, which is hormonally active, poses a threat
to human health - specifically by increasing the risk of
breast or prostate cancer
• In order to reduce this increased risk CANSA supports
reasonable processes to significantly limit exposure to
BPA - especially of pregnant women and our babies
who are more vulnerable
• One such process is to replace polycarbonate baby
bottles containing BPA with BPA-free bottles
No need to trash the world – trash BPA Baby
Bottles
CANSA is a watchdog and the Smart Choice
logo helps to educate the public.
Placing the CANSA Smart Choice logo on BPAFree baby bottles makes good sense
Thank You