Endocrine-Disrupting Effects of Bisphenol-A Confirmed in Fish

On 27 July 2004, Japan's Ministry of the Environment released results of a study it conducted on the effects of bisphenol-A, a suspected endocrine disruptor. Based on experiments using Japanese killifish (Oryzias latipes), a small freshwater fish with a wide distribution in Japan, bisphenol-A was confirmed to have endocrine disrupting effects on fish.

In full life-cycle tests of bisphenol-A levels in the environment, male killifish were found to have increased levels of a certain type of protein that is normally found in female killifish during the breeding season. In the high-level group, feminization was recognized, with the appearance of ovary cells in part of the male killifish's testes.

The Ministry, however, assessed the actual risk as relatively low because the level of bisphenol-A in the environment, as estimated from the results of this study, was below the level that would result in non-observable adverse effects.

Bisphenol-A has been the suspected endocrine disrupting chemical substance of greatest concern in recent years. Bisphenol-A has been widely used in resins such as polycarbonate. Since its endocrine-disrupting effects were identified, movements have arisen to call for the replacement of items made with polycarbonate, such as dishes for school lunches, with ceramics.



Posted: 2004/11/28 04:30:32 PM
Japanese version