What are the effects of Bisphenol A on health and how to minimize it
The Bisphenol A, also know as BPA is a chemical that is used to make items that we all use every day: food and beverage cans, baby bottles, shopping receipts ...
Its presence is so common in everyday objects that a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that more than 90% of the population of the United States has some trace of this substance in their organism, although yes, at levels that they are below the tolerable daily dose; It is estimated that the data in Europe are similar. 
Where can we find Bisphenol A?
This is a substance that, although companies increasingly dispense with it, can still be found in a wide range of products that we all use daily such as cans, bottles and plastics.
Also in bottles, CD and DVD, household appliances and even sports equipment. In the case of food, BPA generally appears as a coating on food and beverage cans.
What are the effects of Bisphenol A on health?
Since this substance began to be considered dangerous, many reports have been made in order to determine what their effects are for health. However, in some cases the results of the reports have been contradictory to one another, which has only increased the distrust of consumer organizations with respect to Bisphenol A.
Some of the most reliable studies, published in the prestigious scientific journal of the American Medical Association, indicate that, even at very low levels of concentration, BPA can cause serious illness Such as: Diabetes, obesity, infertility, breast cancer, prostate cancer, cardiovascular disorders, alterations in brain development and behavioral disorders.
Tips to minimize your exposure
As we have pointed out, bisphenol A is found in elements that we all use daily. However, there are a number of tips that should be taken into account to minimize exposure to BPA:
- Cans: They are precisely the cans one of the products in which more Bisphenol A can be found. Therefore, it is recommended to minimize the use of canned preserves; BPA is used in the lining of cans and can seep into the contents of food.
- Glass: Currently there are many options for not using plastic containers, such as glass in the case of beverages. For example, when it is time to consume oil, it is more advisable to use it when it is bottled in glass.
- Reuse: It is usual for plastic bottles to be reused again and again. Well, it is not advisable to reuse them more than two or three times as they more easily release Bisphenol A.
What do the health authorities say about Bisphenol A?
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warns that children between 3 and 10 years are the most exposed to this substance because their consumption of food with respect to their body weight is greater than that of other ages .
In addition, he notes that about 23% of pregnant women in our country are exposed to high levels of Bisphenol A, which poses a great risk to their children, who are more likely to suffer breast cancer in adulthood.
The National Health Insurance Agency of France (Anses) declared Bisphenol A illegal in 2011. In Spain there is still no legislation that prohibits the manufacture of products with such a component; However, more and more companies are betting not to use it. 
It is estimated that about 95% of the western population can be detected the presence of this substance in the body through a urine or blood test. Although it is still not known exactly what is the maximum dose that we can tolerate before Bisphenol A causes damage to health.
