MNN - Mother Nature Network

OK, you've gotten rid of those nasty old BPA-laden plastic water bottles, right? As a matter of fact, you've probably scoured your house and gotten rid of any BPA-laden-#7 plastic, whether it's in a toy or a Tupperware. Next, you ditched those canned foods with their menacing BPA-laced lining. Maybe you've even gone so far as to your dentist to use BPA-free dental sealants. Life as you know it should finally be free and clear of BPA, right?

 

Wrong.

 

Guess what: it's in the air you breathe.

 

A new study by Japanese researchers has found that BPA is present in air samples all over the world, and at widely varied levels. BPA levels are at their lowest in remote areas near the poles, and at their highest (up to 10,000 times more) in India and other heavily populated regions of Asia.

 

The results show just how ubiquitous BPA is in our world and our environment. And since BPA floats in the air and can attach to particles that infiltrate lungs, it is more than likely that each of us is exposed to BPA in the air we breathe.

 

Researchers theorize that BPA enters the air when plastics, electronics and other waste are burned, since the highest concentrations were measured near populated areas and occurred simultaneously with high levels of other chemicals that are associated with burning plastics.

 

Controlling these emissions — especially in countries in Asia and other parts of the world where it is common to incinerate plastics and electronics — could significantly reduce worldwide exposure to the chemical.

 

And you thought that plastic water bottle was bad. What we really need is a BPA-free label on our air.