Human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) - PubMed
The plastic monomer and plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest volume chemicals produced worldwide. BPA is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in many consumer products. Here, we have outlined studies that address the levels of BPA in human tissues and fluids.
Plasticizer
A plasticizer ( UK: plasticiser) is a substance that is added to a material to make it softer and more flexible, to increase its plasticity, to decrease its viscosity, and/or to decrease friction during its handling in manufacture.
Bisphenol A
BPA is a main component of several high-performance plastics, the production of these is low compared to other plastics but still equals several thousand tons a year. Comparatively minor amounts of BPA are also used as additives or modifiers in some commodity plastics. These materials are much more common but their BPA content will be low.
How do plasticizer and superplasticizer differ?
A plasticizer is an additive used to improve the plasticity of a certain substance. 2. Increase the plasticity of polymer materials such as PVC & as a water reducer in concrete admixtures. 3. Also called water reducers. 4. Can reduce the need for water by 5-15% 5. Added 0.1 – 0.5% by weight of cement 6.
Poisoned by Plastic: A Closer Look at HPLC Analysis of BPA
In the application note titled, “Poisoned by Plastic: The Analysis of BPA and its Derivatives in Water Bottles”, Adam Moore, PhD, explores the presence of plasticizers — Bisphenol A (BPA) and BPA-derivatives — and the possibility of leaching from consumer plastic bottles. Dr. Moore addresses three hypotheses to investigate the issue.
- What is BPA and its transformation products in air?
- Information on BPA and its transformation products in air is lacking. Bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues are high-volume production organic synthetic compounds used in the synthesis of plastics. BPA has been categorized as an endocrine disrupting compound due to its ability to disrupt the hormonal makeup of living organisms.
- What are the advantages of polycarbonate BPA containing plastics?
- Polycarbonate BPA containing plastics have high impact, strength, hardness, toughness, transparency, strong temperature resistance (−40 to 145 °C) and resistance to many acids and oils (Kang et al., 2006).
- Are You exposed to BPA in plastic?
- As a result of the presence of BPA in plastics and other commonplace materials, most people are frequently exposed to trace levels of BPA. The primary source of human exposure is via food, as epoxy and PVC are used to line the inside of food cans to prevent corrosion of the metal by acidic foodstuffs.
- What is BPA used for?
- As mentioned previously, one of BPA's primary uses is the production of polycarbonate (65%), epoxy based resins (30%) and a small amount (2–5%) is used as a stabilizer and an antioxidant in the production of PVC and as a precursor in the manufacturing of a brominated flame retardant, tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA, (Geens et al., 2009)).
- Are BPs & BPA correlated in a BPAF manufacturing plant?
- Yang et al. (2014) investigated the urinary bisphenol profile of residents living near a BPAF manufacturing plant, whereby BPS, BPF, BPA and BPAF were detected at 0.03, 0.2, 0.8 and 0.02 ng/mL (geometric means). However, outdoor air concentrations were not measured making it challenging to correlate the two (Yang et al., 2014).
- Does BPA affect indoor air quality?
- Quality of indoor air is a major concern for human health. As mentioned previously, BPA has the tendency to bind to particles, which poses a risk for indoor environments due to dust association. Hence, several studies assessing BPA levels within indoor microenvironments have been reported.