hapel Hill bisphenol A expert panel consensus statement: Integration of mechanisms, effects in animals and potential to mpact human health at current levels of exposure

This document is a summary statement of the outcome from he meeting: “Bisphenol A: An Examination of the Relevance of cological, In vitro and Laboratory Animal Studies for Assessng Risks to Human Health” sponsored by both the NIEHS and IDCR at NIH/DHHS, as well as the US-EPA and Commonweal n the estrogenic environmental chemical bisphenol A (BPA, ,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane; CAS# 80-05-7). The meetng was held in Chapel Hill, NC, 28–30 November 2006 due o concerns about the potential for a relationship between BPA nd negative trends in human health that have occurred in recent ecades. Examples include increases in abnormal penile/urethra evelopment in males, early sexual maturation in females, an ncrease in neurobehavioral problems such as attention deficit yperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, an increase in childood and adult obesity and type 2 diabetes, a regional decrease n sperm count, and an increase in hormonally mediated cancers, uch as prostate and breast cancers. Concern has been elevated y published studies reporting a relationship between treatment ith “low doses” of BPA and many of theses negative health outomes in experimental studies in laboratory animals as well as n vitro studies identifying plausible molecular mechanisms that ould mediate such effects. Importantly, much evidence suggests hat these adverse effects are occurring in animals within the ange of exposure to BPA of the typical human living in a develped country, where virtually everyone has measurable blood, issue and urine levels of BPA that exceed the levels produced y doses used in the “low dose” animal experiments. Issues relating to BPA were extensively discussed by five anels of experts prior to and during the meeting, and are sumarized in five reports included in this issue: (1) human exposure o bisphenol A (BPA) [1]; (2) in vitro molecular mechanisms of isphenol A action [2]; (3) in vivo effects of bisphenol A in aboratory animals [3]; (4) an ecological assessment of bispheol A: evidence from comparative biology [4]; (5) an evaluation