Higher BPA exposure linked to increased risk for all-cause mortality

(HealthDay)—Higher bisphenol A (BPA) exposure is associated with an increased risk for all-cause mortality in a nationally representative cohort of U.S. adults, according to a study published online Aug. 17 in JAMA Network Open.

Wei Bao, M.D., Ph.D., from the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and colleagues conducted a nationally representative study involving 3,883 adults aged 20 years or older from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003 to 2008 who provided urine samples for BPA level measurements.

The researchers identified 344 deaths during 36,514 person-years of follow-up, including 71 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 75 deaths from cancer. The risk for death was higher for participants with higher urinary BPA levels. Comparing the highest versus the lowest tertile of urinary BPA levels, the hazard ratio was 1.49 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.01 to 2.19) for all-cause mortality, 1.46 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.67 to 3.15) for cardiovascular disease mortality, and 0.98 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.40 to 2.39) for cancer mortality. These findings were seen after adjustment for confounding variables, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, dietary and lifestyle factors, body mass index, and urinary creatinine levels.

"The observed but statistically nonsignificant association between BPA exposure and cardiovascular disease mortality warrants further investigation," the authors write. "In addition, further studies are needed to replicate our findings in other populations and determine the underlying mechanisms."