A new study found an association between exposure to the chemical bisphenol A (BPA)x and miscarriages during the early stages of pregnancy, reports Live Science.  Researchers collected blood from 114 women when they were four to five weeks pregnant. The researchers later measured blood levels of BPA in women who gave birth, and in those who had a first-trimester miscarriage.

Women in the group with the highest BPA levels were 80 percent more likely to have a miscarriage during the first trimester.  It is important to note that the study only found an association, not a causal relationship. Further research is needed to determine whether or not BPA can be said to cause those miscarriages or if other, related variables are the actual cause of the miscarriages.

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), BPA is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.  Polycarbonate plastics are found in numerous everyday products such as water bottles, infant bottles, medical devices, and compact discs.  BPA gets into the body largely through food consumption and, to some degree, through water depending on the temperature of the water or the bottle made with BPA.  There is also minimal BPA exposure through air or dust.

Exposure to BPA is concerning not just because of the risk for miscarriage but due to other health conditions that have been linked to BPA, reports the Natural Resources Defense Council.  BPA has been shown to mimic the hormone estrogen, which can result in changes to the mammary and prostate glands, reproductive abnormalities such as the lowered sperm count and abnormal numbers of chromosomes in eggs, alterations to brain development that can result in behavioral abnormalities, and obesity and insulin resistance.  More than 90 percent of the general population has BPA in their bodies, at levels close to those which have been shown to cause harm in animal studies.

The Washington Post warns that, to minimize BPA exposure, one should avoid cooking or warming food in plastic because heat helps the chemical leak out.  Also, it is important not to leave water bottles out in the sun, to limit use of canned foods, and to avoid handling cash register receipts, which often are coated with resins that contain BPA.  However, it is impossible to completely avoid exposure to BPA, but limiting it will minimize detrimental health impacts.