Vnitr Lek 2013, 59(6):466-471

The environmental estrogen bisphenol A and its effects on the human organism

Z. Lazúrová^*, I. Lazúrová

I. interná klinika Lekárskej fakulty UPJŠ a UN L. Pasteura Košice, Slovenská republika, prednosta prof. MUDr. Daniel Pella, PhD.

Bisphenol A (BPA), i.e. an environmental estrogen, is one of the most common synthetic chemicals which enter the human body from plastic bottles, food packaging and dental materials. As many studies show, a long-term exposure to BPA is connected with a risk of developing various diseases and endocrine disorders. Exposure to BPA, particularly during development, increases the risk of breast carcinoma, obesity, diabetes mellitus type 2 as well as reproductive disorders. It also increases the risk of testes carcinoma and prostate carcinoma. Some isolated studies support also the relation between BPA and the risk of cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. The effect of other xenoestrogens, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalates, dioxins, as well as others, is similar or perhaps even stronger. For the time being, however, the exact pathophysiologic mechanisms of these relations are not quite clear and require further experimental, but especially human, studies.

Keywords: bisphenol A; carcinogenesis; diabetes mellitus; obesity; autoimmunity

Received: April 2, 2013; Published: June 1, 2013  Show citation