BPA, uma revisão crítica

Recomendo hoje a leitura do artigo de Patrícia Hunt e colaboradores, da Washington State University, publicado na Biology of Reprodution. O artigo tem livre acesso (grátis) e aborda de modo bastante abrangente e didático aspectos das aparentes "controvérsias" nos resultados de pesquisas reguardantes ao Bisfenol A. Abaixo reproduzo a conclusão:

"...The BPA saga provides a tutorial on how one of the world’s strongest regulatory agencies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration works or possibly- in the case of endocrine disrupting chemicals – fails to work to protect the public. For example, although chemicals such as BPA are used in food packaging, they are not subject to the same federal regulations as chemicals that are added to our food. Further, while it has long been recognized that current testing paradigms do not work for EDCs, new testing guidelines still are not available.
Scientists, by the nature of our work, are apolitical. Two decades ago most reproductive biologists were skeptical about reports that sperm counts were dropping, infertility was on the rise, and that the incidence of breast, prostate, and other cancers was increasing. Today, far fewer of us dispute these statements, and many have become convinced that environmental exposures – and specifically exposures in utero – contribute to the changes that have occurred in the span of 1-2 human generations. A growing number of us have also become convinced that speaking to the press and the general public about our findings and our concerns should be a clear part of the job description of the next generation of reproductive biologists. The BPA experience has taught us the value of communicating complex scientific findings to the public in terms they can understand, and of sending clear messages about the potential impact of our findings to government decision makers. By refining our communication skills, we can be powerful spokesmen for better test systems and thereby assist government regulators in insuring the preservation of our reproductive health."


Para saber mais:
Hunt PA, Susiarjo M, Rubio C, Hassold TJ.
The Bisphenol A Experience: A Primer for the Analysis of Environmental Effects on Mammalian Reproduction.
Biol Reprod. 2009 May 20.

http://www.biolreprod.org/cgi/rapidpdf/biolreprod.109.077008v1