BPA – a common chemical found in many plastics and consumer products – has been linked to reproductive problems and potentially fatal infections, in a new study of mice.
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati said laboratory experiments, reporting in the Journal of Reproductive Toxicology, said they found evidence that, in addition to affecting the heart, brain and nervous system, BPA (bisphenol A), could affect the ability to reproduce by altering the structure of the uterus.
“We wanted to see if dietary exposures to BPA induced the condition in animal models of differing sensitivity to estrogens," said lead researcher Dr. Scott Belcher said.
For the study, researchers exposed laboratory mice to different dietary doses of BPA in their food. They found the animals exposed to high levels of BPA were significantly more likely to develop uterine changes than unexposed mice.
The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science of the National Institutes of Health.

Federal regulators are currently assessing the safety of BPA in products, in response to health and consumer organizations’ calls for a ban.