Association of Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration With Medical Disorders and Laboratory Abnormalities in Adults

• Published in: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 300; no. 11; pp. 1303 - 1310
• Main Authors: Lang, Iain A, Galloway, Tamara S, Scarlett, Alan, Henley, William E, Depledge, Michael, Wallace, Robert B, Melzer, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Medical Association 17.09.2008
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Aged; Benzhydryl Compounds; Biomarkers - blood; Biomarkers - urine; Blood Glucose; Cardiovascular Diseases - blood; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - urine; Chemicals; Chronic Disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - urine; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants - toxicity; Environmental Pollutants - urine; Epidemiological Monitoring; Female; Health Status; Humans; Inflammation; Insulin Resistance; Lipids - blood; Liver Diseases - blood; Liver Diseases - epidemiology; Liver Diseases - urine; Liver Function Tests; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medical disorders; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Obesity - blood; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - urine; Phenols - toxicity; Phenols - urine; Regression Analysis; Respiratory Tract Diseases - blood; Respiratory Tract Diseases - epidemiology; Respiratory Tract Diseases - urine; United States; United States; United States > US
• ISSN: 0098-7484; 1538-3598
• DOI: 10.1001/jama.300.11.1303

CONTEXT Bisphenol A (BPA) is widely used in epoxy resins lining food and beverage containers. Evidence of effects in animals has generated concern over low-level chronic exposures in humans. OBJECTIVE To examine associations between urinary BPA concentrations and adult health status. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional analysis of BPA concentrations and health status in the general adult population of the United States, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004. Participants were 1455 adults aged 18 through 74 years with measured urinary BPA and urine creatinine concentrations. Regression models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income, smoking, body mass index, waist circumference, and urinary creatinine concentration. The sample provided 80% power to detect unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) of 1.4 for diagnoses of 5% prevalence per 1-SD change in BPA concentration, or standardized regression coefficients of 0.075 for liver enzyme concentrations, at a significance level of P < .05. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Chronic disease diagnoses plus blood markers of liver function, glucose homeostasis, inflammation, and lipid changes. RESULTS Higher urinary BPA concentrations were associated with cardiovascular diagnoses in age-, sex-, and fully adjusted models (OR per 1-SD increase in BPA concentration, 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-1.63; P = .001 with full adjustment). Higher BPA concentrations were also associated with diabetes (OR per 1-SD increase in BPA concentration, 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-1.60; P < .001) but not with other studied common diseases. In addition, higher BPA concentrations were associated with clinically abnormal concentrations of the liver enzymes γ-glutamyltransferase (OR per 1-SD increase in BPA concentration, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.14-1.46; P < .001) and alkaline phosphatase (OR per 1-SD increase in BPA concentration, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.18-1.85; P = .002). CONCLUSION Higher BPA exposure, reflected in higher urinary concentrations of BPA, may be associated with avoidable morbidity in the community-dwelling adult population.Published online September 16, 2008 (doi:10.1001/jama.300.11.1303).