by Adam Spangler
August 08, 2007

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found Bisphenol A (more commonly known as BPA) in the urine of 95 percent of those tested.

Considering all the chemicals present in urine and excreted by the body, why is BPA such a big deal?

Well, there are two reasons. First, BPA produces its adverse effects in “phenomenally small amounts,” says Frederick vom Saal, professor of biology at the Univeristy of Missouri, Columbia, who has studied bisphenol A for over a decade. And second, BPA is in a ton of consumer products—everything from coffee makers to laptop computers to CDs to food storage containers to car parts to baby bottles—increasing the likelihood of exposure.

Back in March, baby gooroo reported concerns over bisphenol A in certain plastic baby bottles, not to mention countless other plastic products. Since then a class action lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against top baby bottle manufacturers. With independent and industry studies (well over 100 since 1997) showing conflicting results, BPA is now under review by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Elizabeth Grossman of Salon.com reports that the official industry position is that products containing BPA “pose no known risks to human health.” But a growing number of scientists disagree. Numerous studies found the chemical to be extremely dangerous—dangerous enough for San Francisco to impose a city-wide ban on BPA—however, the ban was repealed in May, citing a lack of hard evidence.

A preliminary report from the NPT Expert Panel downplayed the health risks associated with BPA, despite stern criticism from health and environmental advocates that the report was biased toward the chemical industry.

Frederick vom Saal described the report as “tainted” from the start, according to Liz Szabo of USA Today.

In addition, Ana Soto and her colleagues from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston contend that “studies financed by industry get more weight in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) report than those with independent funding, which often find serious risks,” reports Szabo.

Stay tuned to the controversy. And, in the meantime, what are moms to do?

ABC News reports that BPA-free bottles, Born Free, are apparently moving off the shelves at a brisk pace. But given that BPA is found in countless consumer products, baby bottles may be just the tip of the iceberg.