We present data showing that some foods preserved in lacquer-coated cans and the liquid in them may acquire estrogenic activity. Hormonal activity was measured using the E-screen bioassay. The biological activity of vegetables packed in cans was a result of plastic monomers used in manufacturing the containers. The plastic monomer bisphenol-A, identified by mass spectrometry, was found as a contaminant not only in the liquid of the preserved vegetables but also in water autoclaved in the cans. The amount of bisphenol-A in the extracts accounted for all the hormonal activity measured. Although the presence of other xenoestrogens cannot be ruled out, it is apparent that all estrogenic activity in these cans was due to bisphenol-A leached from the lacquer coating. The use of plastic in food-packaging materials may require closer scrutiny to determine whether epoxy resins and polycarbonates contribute to human exposure to xenoestrogens.ImagesFigure 1.Figure 2. AFigure 2. BFigure 3. AFigure 3. BFigure 4.Figure 5. AFigure 5. BFigure 6.
Most of the composites and sealants used in dentistry are based on bisphenol A diglycidylether methacrylate (Bis-GMA). Reports revealed that in situ polymerization is not complete and that free monomers can be detected by different analytic methods. Concerns about the estrogenicity of bisphenol A (BPA) and other aromatic components leached from commercial products have been expressed. We studied biphenolic components eluted from seven composites and one sealant before and after in vitro polymerization using HPLC and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and we investigated how pH modifications affect the leaching of these components. We found BPA (maximal amount 1.8 microg/mg dental material), its dimethacrylate derivative (Bis-DMA, 1.15 microg/mg), bisphenol A diglycidylether (6. 1 microg/mg), Bis-GMA (2.0 microg/mg), and ethoxylate and propoxylate of bisphenol A in media in which samples of different commercial products were maintained under controlled pH and temperature conditions. Our results confirm the leaching of estrogenic monomers into the environment by Bis-GMA-based composites and sealants in concentrations at which biologic effects have been demonstrated in in vivo experimental models. The main issue with implications for patient care and dentist responsibility is to further determine the clinical relevance of this estrogenic exposure.ImagesFigure 1
We found an increased risk for breast cancer in the leaner women, especially in the leaner postmenopausal subgroup, related to the TEXB-alpha. The pesticides aldrin and lindane are also individually associated with risk.
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