Gender-bending chemicals found in 86% of teenagers... because of plastic

Rises in some cancers linked to substance in packaging

ALMOST 90 per cent of teenagers have gender-bending chemicals from plastic in their bodies, according to a study.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastic containers and water bottles, on the inside of food cans and in till receipts.

The chemical, used since the 1960s to make certain types of plastic, mimics the female sex hormone oestrogen, and has been linked to low sperm counts and infertility in men, as well as breast and prostate cancer.

A study by the University of Exeter, whose researchers tested urine samples from 94 teenagers, found 86 per cent had traces of BPA in their body.

Experts fear it is all but impossible to avoid the chemical, given the widespread use of plastic packaging for food.

The study’s co-author Professor Lorna Harries, from the university’s medical school, said: ‘Most people are exposed to BPA on a daily basis.

‘In this study, our student researchers have discovered that at the present time, given current labelling laws, it is difficult to avoid exposure by altering our diet.

‘In an ideal world, we would have a choice over what we put into our bodies. At the present time, since it is difficult to identify which foods and packaging contain BPA, it is not possible to make that choice.’

The European Chemicals Agency last year reclassified BPA as a substance of ‘very high concern’ because of its ‘probable serious effects’ on human health.

Used to harden plastics, it has been linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, as well as declining male fertility.

Although it is found in till receipts, sunglasses and CD cases, the main way people are exposed is through plastic packaging whose chemicals leach into food.

As well as giving urine samples, the teenagers filled out food diaries. Even when they were told to avoid BPA in their diet for a week, there was no measurable fall in the chemical within their bodies.

This has been blamed on the widespread use of the chemical in food packaging, which the Daily Mail has highlighted in its Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign – launched in November, and backed by the head of the UN’s environmental programme.

Participants told researchers ‘almost everything is packaged in plastic’. One added: ‘I found it really hard to know what foods I could eat … there is never a guarantee it is BPA-free.’

Foods that appear safe because they are not sold in plastic packaging may still contain ingredients which have been exposed to the dangerous chemical. Highly processed products and fast food are believed to be a particular risk.

Professor Tamara Galloway, lead author of the research, said: ‘We found that a diet designed to reduce exposure to BPA including avoiding fruit and vegetables packaged in plastic containers, tinned food, and meals designed to be reheated in a microwave in packaging containing BPA, had little impact on BPA levels in the body.’

Previous research has shown people risk higher exposure if they repeatedly use plastic bottles containing BPA, because of wear over time, and if they heat up plastic tubs containing the industrial substance in the microwave.

While BPA is removed from the blood by the kidneys within hours, recent studies show it can stay in the body for up to 43 hours, suggesting it builds up in body fat.

Although it is classified as an ‘endocrine disruptor’ – meaning it can interfere with the hormone systems of mammals – the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) maintains humans’ low exposure to the chemical is not harmful.

Responding to the latest study, published in the BMJ Open journal, the British Plastics Federation said BPA is not found in most ‘on-the-go’ water and soft drinks bottles.

A spokesman said: ‘The British Plastics Federation supports the conclusions of the EFSA that at current exposure levels, plastics containing BPA pose no consumer health risks for any age group.’