A recent study conducted at the University of Missouri and funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences indicates that dietary exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) may have been underestimated by previous research (Sieli PT et al. Environ Health Perspect. doi:10.1289/ehp.1003385 [published online ahead of print June 6, 2011]).
Because a significant portion of human exposure to BPA is thought to occur through eating food stored in containers formulated with BPA, the researchers examined BPA blood concentrations in mice that were given a steady diet supplemented with BPA for 1 week. The investigators chose an exposure of BPA that was lower than the lowest observed adverse effect level reported in rodents.