"Teens Carry 30 Per Cent More BPA Than Rest of Population"

"Teenagers may carry the highest levels of bisphenol A -- about 30 per cent more than the rest of the population, according to the first national survey about the compound conducted by Statistics Canada, but exposure to the estrogen-mimicking chemical is widespread, with detectible levels in 91 per cent of Canadians.

The survey, released Monday, found that the average level of BPA, as the substance is known, was just over one part per billion, an exceedingly small amount, but still a thousand times higher than natural levels of estrogen found in the body.

Statistics Canada said its data, based on urine samples collected from more than 5,400 people aged six to 79, suggest there is “continual widespread exposure in the Canadian population” to BPA. The Statscan sampling is the largest such effort done to date in the world. "

Martin Mittelstaedt reports for the Toronto Globe and Mil Aug. 16, 2010.

SEE ALSO:

"Canada Tracks BPA Exposure, Finds In Most People" (Reuters)

"Feds To Designate Bisphenol a as Toxic by November" (Montreal Gazette)

"Bisphenol A Ban Left Out of Senate Food Safety Compromise" (The Hill)

"Sen. Feinstein Vows Senate Vote on BPA Measure" (Greenwire)