The toxic chemical Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is detectable in the urine of more than nine in 10 Canadians, according to a study released on Monday.
The Canadian Health Measures Survey of 5,600 Canadians aged six to 79 years, conducted by Statistics Canada between 2007 and last year, found Canadian teens had the highest concentrations of BPA while the elderly had the lowest.
The average level of the estrogen-mimicking chemical in the Canadian population was small, only 1.16 parts per billion. This is a much higher concentration than natural estrogen levels found in the human body, but BPA is also much less potent than estrogen, a Health Canada official said.
BPA is made from petroleum and people are exposed primarily through food packaging.
Canada banned its use in baby bottles in October 2008 after tests showed it can affect neural development and behavior in laboratory animals.
More than 130 studies have linked even low levels of BPA to serious health problems, obesity and the early onset of puberty.
However, its impact on humans is disputed, and it is still widely used in plastic water jugs, soft drink cans, cellphone housings, computers and car bumpers.
“Health Canada has conducted a scientific screening assessment of the impact of human and environmental exposure to BPA and determined that it is of concern to human health and the environment,” the study said.
However, it added: “Based on the overall weight of evidence, Health Canada has concluded that the current dietary exposure to BPA through food packaging is not expected to pose a health risk to the general population.”
Statistics Canada said that the exposure levels found in Canada were consistent with results from international studies.
“I expect there will be a push now to try to find alternatives to some of these products containing BPA,” said Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor at McGill University in Montreal. “BPA is critical to the functioning of the world, but it’s certainly possible that exposure can be curbed.”
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