Plastic Chemical Tied to Heart Disease and Diabetes

BPA has been the subject of extensive scientific testing and government reviews worldwide, Harrington said. "These reviews have consistently concluded that human exposure levels to BPA are low and within the safe limits set by government authorities," she said.

"While properly designed and executed statistical studies on this and other compounds can bring valuable new insights with respect to human health, sometimes they do not, and sometimes they merely claim false associations that add little to and even confuse the body of science," Harrington added.

Another expert, Dr. Rick Stahlhut, from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, agreed this study does not provide a causal link between BPA and heart disease and diabetes, but it's the first step toward discovering such a link. "The findings are intriguing, but they have to be validated," Stahlhut said.

Stahlhut said he expects the controversy to continue. "It's just like every other environmental exposure problem. We are always two decades behind. Ten to 20 years after the chemical is produced, suspicions start to rise. By then, it's a multi-billion-dollar industry, and now there are forces whose job it is to keep it going -- and that is what is happening now," he said.

Until all the facts are known about BPA, Stahlhut recommends not exposing yourself to things you do not need. Don't take it for granted that because some "smiling guy on TV" says it's OK, it is, he said.

More information

For about Bisphenol A, visit the Environment California.