BPA and Breast Cancer?

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a component of hard clear plastic that has been identified as a hormone disruptor. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that eating soup from cans quickly raises levels of BPA in the body. Because this compound seems to act like estrogen, scientists have been concerned that it may spur the development of hormone-dependent tumors such as breast cancer. Now research in mice suggests that is precisely what happens.
Investigators exposed mice that were especially susceptible to develop breast cancer to varying levels of BPA in their drinking water. Exposure to low levels of BPA was associated with more breast tumors and larger tumors with an earlier onset. Paradoxically, high levels of BPA did not have these effects. The scientists conclude, “Although data obtained in animals may not translate perfectly to humans, the data presented here do cause some concern for the current condition of BPA use, exposure, and regulation.”
[Environmental Health Perspectives, Nov., 2011]