BPA harmful to developing hearts, study suggests

A new study has indicated that bisphenol A (BPA) might have a detrimental effect on developing hearts.

Research from the Children's National Heart Institute and the George Washington University suggests that children’s hearts develop with slower heart rates, irregular heart rhythms and calcium instabilities, in response to BPA.

Studies have found that BPA exposure can correlate with adverse cardiovascular events in adults, such as abnormal heart beats, chest pain and coronary heart disease. The product reaches 90% of the US population through consumer and medical products and over 8 million pounds is produced each year.

The study used neonatal rat heart cells to examine the elevated risk of short-term BPA exposure - for a period 15 minutes – may have in paediatric intensive care settings.

The authors of the study state that alternative biomaterials should be developed to improve patient safety outcomes.

Nikki Gillum Posnack, a study author and assistant professor at Children's National Heart Institute and the George Washington University, said: “Current research explores the impact endocrine disruptors, specifically BPA, have on adults and their cardiovascular and kidney function. We know that once this chemical enters the body, it can be bioactive and therefore can influence how heart cells function. This is the first study to look at the impact BPA exposure can have on heart cells that are still developing."

The research examines the ways that plastics have changed how doctors and surgeons treat young people, particularly those with compromised immune or cardiac function.

Dr Posnack continued: “We're exploring the potential—and inadvertent risk of plastic medical devices, which have revolutionised the medical field. We're investigating whether these hospital-based exposures may cause unintended effects on cardiac function and looking at ways to mitigate chemical exposure. We hope this preliminary research incentivises the development of alternative products by medical device manufacturers and encourages the research community to study the impact of plastics on sensitive patient populations."