"Manufactures use a chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA, to make plastic bottles, thermal papers like receipts and as a lining in canned goods. The chemical has come under scrutiny because studies have shown that it’s an endocrine disruptor, interfering with the activity of hormones in the body like estrogen. And animals studies have linked it to long-term health problems such as altered sexual development and brain impairments.

It has been generally assumed, though, that the health effects of BPA only become apparent after long-term, continuous exposure, and that they are most prominent or relevant in developing fetuses or young children, says Laura Vandenberg, who studies endocrine disruptors at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

But a new study looked at the health impacts on adults drinking a liquid from bottles lined with BPA, and found that the chemical not only made it into their bodies but seems to have caused a significant increase in blood pressure."

Douglas Main reports for Newsweek Decembe 9, 2014. [2]