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WBURStudy: Plastic Bottles Increase BPA Levels In Humans

Published May 22, 2009  Updated July 25

BOSTON — A new study from Harvard University confirms commonly held concerns about drinking from hard plastic water bottles made with the chemical Bisphenol-A or BPA.

Researchers found people who drank from some plastic bottles for a week had nearly 70 percent more of BPA in their bodies.

Doctor Karin Michels says infants are more susceptible to the effects of the chemical and may have more chances for exposure.

“The infant formula in the baby bottles, which contain Bisphenol A, is heated and this heating process is actually releasing a lot more Bisphenol A into the infant formula and undoubtedly into the infant,” Michels said.

Some researchers say BPA may cause developmental problems in fetuses and young children.

The Food and Drug Administration say studies show products made with BPA are safe.

But Massachusetts health officials are considering warnings for pregnant woman and children.

The study appeared in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

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