Controversial Chemical BPA Linked with Recent Increase in Childhood Asthma cases in US

Harmful chemical bisphenol A (BPA), found in many plastic bottles and beverage cans, plays a significant role in childhood asthma, which affects one in 20 children in the United States, researchers reveal.

Early exposure to BPA is not good for a child's health - innumerable studies have provided ample evidence to prove this. It has been linked to health issues such as cancer, neurological issues, heart disease and reproductive problems.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 5 or 6 million pounds of bisphenol is produced every year worldwide. Exposure to the chemical occurs through ingestion of foods in contact with the BPA-containing materials. Direct oral contact or hand-to-mouth contact with the chemical containing material puts small children at a risk of exposure to the chemical.

Lead author of the current study Kathleen Donohue and colleagues reported their findings in the March edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. They looked at nearly 600 women, part of the Mothers & Newborns study on environmental exposure. All the participants provided urine samples during their third trimester.

Researchers measured BPA metabolite levels in their children at 3, 5 and 7 years. The prevalence of asthma and wheezing was determined through asthma symptoms, pulmonary function test and medical history of the kids. Nearly 90 percent of the children had noticeable levels of BPA metabolite.

At the end of the study, the research team found that exposure to the chemical BPA while in the mother's womb or after birth places children at higher risks of asthma than those who were not exposed to the chemical.

The findings come at a time when more and more American children are being diagnosed with asthma.

"Asthma prevalence has increased dramatically over the past 30 years, which suggests that some as-yet-undiscovered environmental exposures may be implicated. Our study indicates that one such exposure may be BPA," Donohue, an assistant professor of Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, said in a news release.

In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on finding the health issues linked to the chemical, issued a ban on the chemical in baby bottles and sippy cups. However, the chemical is still used as an internal coating for aluminum cans.

Even though the researchers couldn't fully explain the exact factors that lead to the occurrence, they expect their findings to help the federal authorities to introduce more strict rules regarding BPA.

"It is very important to have solid epidemiologic research like ours to give the regulators the best possible information on which to base their decisions about the safety of BPA," senior author Robin Whyatt, professor of Environmental Health Sciences and deputy director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, said.