01 Feb Don’t Heat Food in Plastic Containers, Even If Microwave or Dishwasher Safe

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Nancy Wayne

Dr. Nancy Wayne, PhD
Member, Brain Research Institute
Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology
GPB Home Area
Neuroscience GPB Home Area
David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Dr. Wayne: I started this work because of my concern about our continuous exposure to BPA and other endocrine disrupting chemicals. Our first study published in 2008 showed that low doses of BPA accelerated embryonic development and birth within 24 hours of exposure. We extended this work more recently by investigating the impact of BPA and BPS (a common BPA-substitute) on the timing of birth and development of the reproductive system in embryos.

Our research showed that low levels of BPS had a similar impact on the embryo as BPA. In the presence of either BPA or BPS, embryonic development was accelerated leading to abnormal stimulation of the reproductive system. Additionally, BPA caused premature birth. This is cause for concern with human health consequences to long-term exposure to low levels of potentially dozens of endocrine disrupting chemicals that are in our environment.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Wayne: People should be concerned about exposure to all endocrine disrupting chemicals, including BPS, and limit as much as possible the storage of food and beverages in plastic containers. Buy food and beverages in glass containers. Do not heat food in plastic containers, even if it says microwave or dishwater safe. Unfortunately, these chemicals are everywhere in our environment – but limiting contact with them will lower exposure.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Wayne: The research on BPS and other endocrine disrupting chemicals should be extended to a variety of species, including mammals and human cells in culture. Doing comparative work provides a lot of information on the extent of impact of these chemicals. We cannot do these types of studies in humans because of ethical considerations, but if there is widespread impact across multiple species — it is likely altering human cell functions in a similar way.

Citation:

Actions of Bisphenol A and Bisphenol S on the Reproductive Neuroendocrine System During Early Development in Zebrafish

Wenhui Qiu, Yali Zhao, Ming Yang, Matthew Farajzadeh, Chenyuan Pan, and Nancy L. Wayne

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/en.2015-1785
Endocrinology Received: September 08, 2015
Accepted: November 20, 2015
First Published Online: December 10, 2015

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Dr. Nancy Wayne, PhD (2016). Don’t Heat Food in Plastic Containers, Even If Microwave or Dishwasher Safe 

Last Updated on February 1, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD