Thursday, November 05, 2009
Institute to fund research on bisphenol A
Research on bisphenol A's effects on human health will be a major focus for the National Institutes of Health in coming years.
NIH allocated approximately $30 million in funds received from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study the effects of BPA over the next two years, according to an NIH press release.
The grants will fund additional testing on animals and humans to determine the impact of developmental exposure and adult chronic exposure to low doses of BPA. Areas of focus will include behavior; obesity; diabetes; reproductive disorders; and development of breast, uterine and prostate cancers.
In 2008, NIEHS concluded BPA causes adverse health effects in animals, but its effect on humans remains largely unknown, the release said.