Dangerous Water Bottles? Study Gives Incentive to Reduce BPA Exposure
Wednesday September 17, 2008
I've been following concerns about the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) used in manufacturing some kinds of reusable water bottles. The good news is that it is easy to find BPA-free water bottles. The bad news is that researchers say almost everyone has detectable levels of BPA in their bodies, and those with higher levels are more likely to have heart disease, diabetes, and liver enzyme abnormalities. Yikes!High BPA Levels Linked to Increased Risk for Heart Disease and Diabetes
BPA was used in clear hard plastic water bottles and baby bottles. We've been assured that it doesn't leach out in normal use, but manufacturers responded by reformulating their bottles and labeling them BPA-free. If your water bottle was opaque, it was always BPA-free. If it was clear and hard and had a 7 inside a triangle on the bottom, it might contain BPA. If the research convinces you, replace it with a new BPA-free water bottle.
Photo © Wendy Bumgardner: Old-style Nalgene Polycarbonate Water Bottle
Comments
I just want to remind everyone that these BPA studies cited are correlational studies. This means they are not showing causation. This is really important because there are many other very reasonable and practical explanations for the correlation of higher levels of BPA in people who have the above mentioned health problems.
For example a very good explanation could be that people who have these health problems tend to have them because they have very unhealthy eating habits consuming large amounts of soda, and other unhealthy foods that tend to be packaged in BPA products. And these same people who have unhealthy eating habits could also be very likely to have other unhealthy activities for example no regular exercise that encourage these health problems.
So the BPA is not causing the problems, it simply happens to be along for the ride with the real causing factors of unhealthy eat habits and no exercise. Of course BPA could be the reason for the increased health problems.
It’s just unwise to use correlational studies to infer causation because this can lead to false conclusions that can cause more damage than they do good.