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ShareAug. 6, 2007 — An independent panel of scientists convened by the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) will review recent scientific data and expects to reach conclusions regarding whether or not exposure to a widely used chemical, Bisphenol A (BPA) is hazardous to human development or reproduction.
The NTP is located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, at the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health.
The expert panel met in March, 2007 and worked for 2.5 days to review and assess the more than 500 scientific BPA-related studies cited in the report.
Because of the length and complexity of this evaluation, the panel was unable to complete its review and has scheduled this second meeting to review and revise the draft expert panel report at and write its summary, conclusions and critical data needs.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production volume chemical used in the production of polycarbonate plastic and several types of resins. Polycarbonate plastics are widely used in a variety of products including food and drink containers, CDs, DVDs, electrical and electronic equipment, automobiles, sports safety equipment.
Resins are used as a protective lining in metal food and drink containers and water supply pipes. In vitro and animal data indicate that BPA may mimic the natural female sex hormone, estradiol. Exposure to the general population can occur through direct contact to BPA or by exposure to food or drink that has been in contact with material containing BPA.
The Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) selected this compound for evaluation because of its high volume of production, widespread human exposure, evidence of reproductive toxicity in animal studies, and public interest and concern.
The CERHR was established by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) as part of the National Toxicology Program in 1998. CERHR convenes a scientific expert panel that meets in a public forum to review, discuss, and evaluate the scientific literature on a selected chemical.
CERHR selects chemicals for evaluation based upon several factors including production volume, extent of human exposure, public concern, and the extent of published information from reproductive and developmental toxicity studies.
The 417 page draft report is available at http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/BPA_Interim_DraftRpt.pdf
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