OWSD NIGERIA NATIONAL CHAPTER PRESENTS BISPHENOLA: A FRIEND OR FOE?
April 15, 2023
OWSD Nigeria National Chapter University of PortHarcourt Branch Series of Scientific Communications: Lauritta C. Ndufeiya-Kumasi on BISPHENOL A: A FRIEND OR FOE?
BISPHENOL A: A FRIEND OR FOE?
By
Lauritta C. Ndufeiya-Kumasi
INTRODUCTION
Over the past few years, the invention of Bisphenol A (BPA) has significantly amplified universally, with its consumption of about 10.6 million metric tons in 2022 (Almeida et al., 2018). The extensive applications of BPA has resulted in widespread human exposure and subsequent health hazards (Husøy et al., 2019 ). BPA is classified as an Endocrine Disrupting Chemical (EDC) (Abdel-Rahman et al.,2012). EDCs interfere and prevent the binding of natural hormones to their receptors and/or can act as a hormone mimics; consequently, they exaggerate the effect of endogenous hormones (Fenichel et al.,2013). BPA can leach from the polymers into food and water at elevated temperature and hence accumulates in the human body (Staples et al.,1998; Vandenberg et al., 2010). Early life exposure to BPA is linked to asthma and neurodevelopmental problems such as hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and aggression. In adults, BPA exposure is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, decreased fertility, and breast and prostate cancer (Bǎ Lan et al.,2023)
Hence, BPA is a major threat to human health and environmental exposure to this toxicant is a major concern because it might explain the currently increasing incidence of disease development worldwide.
WHAT IS BPA?
BPA is an industrial chemical used in manufacturing plastics and added to many commercial
products, plastic water bottles, internal linings of cans for soft drinks, beer, plastic bags, coated
tins and hygiene products (Vandenberg et al.,2012; Taylor and Baumert,2019).
It has been used since 1960s to produce strong, resilient and clear plastics for food packaging and home kitchen use (Benjamin, 2022).
BPA is one of the world’s highest production volume chemicals, with approximately 7 billion pounds produced per year (Amir, 2019).
WHERE IS BPA FOUND?
