The bisphenol A toxicological paradox: The more we learn the less we know for sure

Abstract

Despite the overwhelming need for toxicological data on unstudied substances, a search in Pubmed reveals greater than 7300 entries for a single chemical (bisphenol A, BPA), most of which published in the last 25 years. BPA, a component of plastics and resins and a putative xenoestrogen, is certainly the molecule for which there are more studies in the toxicological literature. It was reported that fetal or perinatal exposures of mice to BPA (in the ppb range) alter prostate weight in adult males, and cause persistent changes of mammary gland morphogenesis in females. Several studies, however, failed to replicate these findings. More recently, debate on BPA health risks was boosted by a few cross-sectional epidemiology studies that reported associations between total-BPA (in urine) and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other health problems. The urine levels, however, reflect recent BPA exposures (within hours), and aforementioned disorders start much earlier in individuals' life.