Phthalates and Bisphenol-A in Plastics and Possible Human Health Effects

Book excerpt: This book explores the safety of phthalates and bisphenol-A in everyday consumer products. The American Chemistry Council represents the leading business of chemistry. Products supplied by the chemistry sector are essential in manufacturing, agriculture, energy, transportation, technology, communications, health, education, defence, and virtually every aspect of our lives. Basic industrial chemicals are the raw materials for thousands of other products including plastics, water treatment chemicals, detergents, pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals. Recent media attention has created public concern and confusion about some of these chemicals - a family of compounds called phthalate esters, and another compound bisphenol-A. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a synthetic sex hormone that's been linked to serious diseases at low doses of exposure. Studies conducted on laboratory animals and cell cultures have linked low doses of BPA to obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer and other illnesses. BPA exposure is widespread and has been found in 95% of Americans tested including in breast milk. New research related to this field is presented in this book.