Tag: CLARITY-BPA

Current uses of BPA are safe – Not

Getting a Clear View : Lessons From The CLARITY-BPA Study, 2019

Listen to Dr. Laura Vandenberg, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences in the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, analyses The CLARITY-BPA study. Reference.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is produced in high volume and is still in use in a variety of products globally. Many independent, academic studies have demonstrated an association between exposure to BPA and multiple adverse health outcomes including endocrine-disrupting end-points. However, studies included in regulatory risk assessments have been cited as evidence that current uses of BPA are safe.

The U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sought to address these disparities in scientific findings and put together the Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity, otherwise known as CLARITY-BPA.

Retha Newbold about CLARITY BPA

By the Collaborative on Health and the Environment

Retha Newbold discussed the program called The Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on the Toxicity of Bisphenol A (CLARITY-BPA).

On this call Retha Newbold, MS, Researcher Emeritus, National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, discussed the program called “The Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on the Toxicity of Bisphenol A (CLARITY-BPA)” which is an interagency agreement, conducted under the auspices of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), between The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) supported grantees, the staff of the Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP) at NIH/NIEHS, and the Food and Drug Administration at the National Center for Toxicological Research (FDA/NCTR). The goals of the consortium are to enhance the utility of a perinatal 2-year GLP chronic toxicity study on BPA for regulatory decision-making by incorporating a wide range of doses and some additional disease-related endpoints that are not usually covered.

To this end, 12 NIEHS grantees are studying hypothesis-driven mechanisms by investigating specific endpoints that maybe altered by BPA including behavioral/neuroendocrine, immune function, cardiac, reproductive tract, cancer, thyroid, and other organ systems. This consortium is unique in that it combines the knowledge and skills of the NTP staff with experts from the academic field who are covering more mechanistic studies. Although this program focuses on BPA, it may provide an example of how to better study effects of other endocrine disrupting chemicals especially since numerous organ systems may be involved.

Sources:

Additional resources of interest:
  • A new approach to synergize academic and guideline-compliant research: The CLARITY-BPA research program – PDF.
  • Bisphenol-A: Questions and Answers about BPA, NIEHS.
  • NIEHS-supported Bisphenol-A Research Articles, NIEHS.
  • Environmental Factor (Mar 2013): BPA Grantees Share Findings, NIEHS.
  • Environmental Health Perspectives: Consortium-Based Science: The NIEHS’s Multipronged, Collaborative Approach to Assessing the Health Effects of Bisphenol A, EHP.
  • Questions & Answers on Bisphenol A (BPA) Use in Food Contact Applications, FDA.
  • Bisphenol-A: Overview and Updates, FDA.