USA: Higher exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may heighten the risk of all-cause mortality, according to a recent study in JAMA Network Open. BPA is an industrial chemical produced primarily for the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.
BPA based polycarbonate plastics are used in many consumer products such as sports equipment, compact discs, plastic bottles, some medical devices, and dental sealants and composites. Also, BPA containing epoxy resins are used to coat the inside of food and beverage cans, line water pipes, and make thermal paper such as that used in sales receipts. It has become a major public health problem owing to its high-volume industrial production, potential toxic effects on multiple organs and systems in humans, and ubiquitous exposure to humans. Despite this, there are sparse prospective studies evaluating the association of BPA exposure with long-term health outcomes.
Wei Bao, University of Iowa, Iowa City, and colleagues examined the association of BPA exposure with all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality among adults in the United States.
This study included 3883 adults (aged 20 years or older) who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2008 and provided urine samples for BPA level measurements. Participants were linked to mortality data from the survey date through December 31, 2015. Data analyses were conducted in July 2019.
Urinary BPA levels were quantified using online solid-phase extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography–isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry.
Outcomes of the study included mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Key findings of the study include:
During 36 514 person-years of follow-up (median, 9.6 years; maximum, 13.1 years), 344 deaths occurred, including 71 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 75 deaths from cancer.
Participants with higher urinary BPA levels were at higher risk for death.
After adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, dietary and lifestyle factors, body mass index, and urinary creatinine levels, the hazard ratio comparing the highest vs lowest tertile of urinary BPA levels was 1.49 for all-cause mortality, 1.46 for cardiovascular disease mortality, and 0.98 for cancer mortality.
"In this nationally representative cohort of US adults, higher BPA exposure was significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings in other populations and determine the underlying mechanisms," concluded the authors.
The study, "Association Between Bisphenol A Exposure and Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in US Adults," is published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.11620