NIH Program to Spend $30 Million on Bisphenol A Research
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has announced that it will spend $30 million on two-year research grants targeting the potential health risks of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure. The ubiquitous chemical is used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins that may leach into foods and beverages from product packaging.
“We know that many people are concerned about bisphenol A, and we want to support the best science we can to provide the answers,” NIEHS Director Linda Birnbaum was quoted as saying. NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program identified BPA as a priority after concluding in 2008 that evidence from animal studies showed that BPA “may be causing adverse effects.”
Researchers will reportedly focus on low-dose BPA exposure and compile data on “a number of health effects including behavior, obesity, diabetes, reproductive disorders, development of prostate, breast and uterine cancer, asthma, cardiovascular diseases and transgenerational or epigenetic effects.” See USA Today and NIH News Release, October 28, 2009.
