CHAPTER 9. Bisphenol A and Aging

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high volume chemical that has received tremendous attention in the scientific literature and by the general public. Concern over human exposures to this chemical are largely centered around its known estrogenic activity, widespread exposures in human populations, and more than one hundred animal studies indicating harm from low dose exposures. This chapter will focus on the link between BPA and aging in both animal models and human populations. There is a large number of studies connecting BPA exposures with several aging diseases in rodents, including mammary and prostate cancers, dysfunctions of the male and female reproductive tract, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. Epidemiology studies linking BPA exposures to age-related diseases in human populations also suggest links between this chemical and age-dependent health endpoints. Although these studies have obvious limitations, they provide compelling evidence that human exposures to BPA could contribute to diseases of aging.