1. Human Exposure to Bisphenol A
The American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), founded in 1909, is the only national organization that provides leadership and support to family and consumer sciences (FCS) students and professionals across multiple practice settings. AAFCS’ members are elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educators, researchers, and administrators; Cooperative Extension educators; and professionals in business and industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government.

2. If they sell it, it must be safe!!
Lead paint
Asbestos
Cigarettes
Baycol
In 1922, the Third International Labor Conference of the League of Nations recommended the banning of white lead for interior use. Many countries (France, Belgium, Austria, Tunisia, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Yugoslavia and even Cuba) either banned or restricted the use of lead in interior paint by Despite this knowledge, the Lead Industries Association (LIA) and its members conducted a campaign to promote the use of paint containing white lead. In the United States, it was not until the 1950s that the LIA adopted a voluntary standard limiting the amount of lead in interior paints. Finally, in 1970 federal legislation prohibited the use of lead paint in federally financed and subsidized housing, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission prohibited the use of all lead paint after 1978.
Source: Children’s Environmental Health Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Retrieved from
Asbestos, cigarettes, and FDA approved drugs like Baycol are other examples of products where battles erupted between consumer advocates and industry at any attempt to remove potentially hazardous items from the market or provide appropriate warning labels.

3. Why are people concerned?
BPA has been associated with health risks to include brain abnormalities, reproductive system abnormalities, cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and child asthma.
A NIH study reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found detectable levels of BPA in 93% of respondents.
The FDA has “some concern“ for effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to BPA. There is special concern for children and women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.
Source:
Premature babies have BPA levels 10 times higher than general population
Exposure to Bisphenol A and other Phenols in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Premature Infants, A M Calafat, J Weuve, X Ye, L Jia, et al, Environ. Health Perspectives, Dec
BPA  linked to heart disease, diabetes and liver abnormalities in humans
Association of urinary bisphenol A concentration with medical disorders and laboratory abnormalities in adults. IA Lang, TS Galloway, A Scarlett, WE Henley, et al. JAMA. 2008, 300(11):  
BPA is being scrutinized by the U.S. Geological survey and EPA because of water contamination. There are billions of pounds of BPA produced each year. Source:

4. Why are people concerned?
Early-life exposure to BPA may affect testis function in adulthood.
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome have higher BPA blood levels.
Children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods would get a dose of BPA approaching levels that have caused adverse affects in animal studies.
Dr. Hugh Taylor, professor and chief of endocrinology at Yale University School of Medicine said, “We do not know how much is safe.” His study in pregnant mice presented at the Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Conference (ENDO) in 2009 found that BPA exposure during pregnancy has a lasting effect on one of the gene’s of the offspring.
Sources: The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Vol. 24, Issue 3 (March 2010).
Hormone and Cancer, a journal of the Endocrine Society, reports that a study in mice reveals that prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA may affect a fetus for life. Adult women who were exposed prenatally could be at increased risk of breast cancer.
A study from Auburn University presented at the Endocrine Society’s 92 Annual Conference found that prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupters like BPA may affect a fetus for life. Professor Benson Akingbemi stated, “We are seeing changes in the testis function of rats after exposure to BPA levels that are lower than what the FDA and EPA considers safe exposure levels for humans.” He further commented, “This is concerning because large segments of the population including pregnant and nursing mothers are exposed to this chemical.” The study used 25 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight, which is half the 50 microgram limit set as safe exposure under U.S. federal guidelines.
Dr. Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis from the University of Athens Medical School in Greece also presented a study at the 2010 ENDO conference which found that BPA is associated with higher levels of male hormones in the blood of women. The resulting increase of male hormones (polycistic ovary syndrome or hormone imbalance) raises the risk of infertility, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Past studies show that BPA is elevated in women who’ve had recurrent miscarriages.
There are many studies that show low levels of BPA affect the functioning and development of cells in the body.
In a press release, President of the Endocrine Society, Dr. Robert Cary, in response to the FDA’s 2008 draft assessment of BPA in food use applications said, “We are especially concerned that low-dose studies examining important endocrinological endpoints have been excluded from the FDA’s draft assessment of risk. Many of the excluded studies of low-dose effects are well designed, heavily reviewed, NIH-funded work. This research is among the best of the world and many of the results indicate effects at exposures substantially lower than those deemed safe in the FDA’s draft assessment of BPA contact in food applications.” Source:
Additional source: January 2010 Transcript for FDA Stakeholder Meeting on BPA

5. Where is BPA found? Baby bottles Water bottles Canned food and drinks
Canning lids
BPA is a chemical compound primarily used to make polycarbonate. Manufacturers of favorite canned foods and drinks use BPA in can linings where it then leaches into food.
In 2009, Consumer Reports found the chemical in almost all 19 of the brand-name products it tested, with the highest levels in Del Monte Green Beans, Progresso Vegetable Soup and Campbell's Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup. Just one serving of the canned vegetable soup could deliver about double the dose of BPA that the FDA considers typical daily exposure, according to the magazine.
BPA is used in a wide array of nonfood plastic products too – CDs, sunglasses, bike helmets, bottle tops, and water supply pipes. Even some cash register receipts are loaded with BPA that may rub off on people's skin. Some dental sealants and composites may also contribute to BPA exposure.
Several manufacturers of baby bottles of have agreed not to produce bottles containing BPA. Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin have passed bans on BPA in food and drink containers intended for children younger than three years of age. Chicago and several counties in New York have taken similar action. Bills are also pending in Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. Canada became the first country to ban BPA use in baby bottles in Denmark, France, and Australia have taken measures to ban BPA.
Sources:
Concern over canned foods. Consumer Reports, December Retrieved from

6. European Food Safety Authority Panel
Could not identify new evidence which would lead to revision of current Tolerable Daily Intake.
Acknowledged studies report adverse effects well below Tolerable Daily Intake.
Some show changes in the central nervous system, effects on the immune system and enhanced susceptibility to breast cancer.
“At present the relevance of these findings for human health cannot be assessed.”
9/30/10 News story: EFSA updates advice on bisphenol A. Retrieved from
"Consumers around the world can be reassured that EFSA's intense scientific scrutiny continues to reaffirm the safety of BPA in food contact applications, and again concludes that established safe intake levels for BPA provide a sufficient margin of safety for protection of consumers, including for infants and young children.“ - Steven Hentges, American Chemistry Council.
The EU Tolerable Daily Intake is defined as 5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, which is less than the 50 micrograms per kg bw specified by U.S. federal guidelines. Source:

7. What can I do to limit exposure?
Do not microwave polycarbonate plastic.
Avoid plastic containers with #7 on bottom.
Do not wash polycarbonate plastic containers in dishwasher with harsh detergents.
Avoid storing food or beverages in polycarbonate plastic, which is often used to make baby bottles and "sippy" cups, 5-gallon water cooler jugs, and hard, transparent water bottles. And avoid canned goods, since the linings of metal cans often contain bisphenol A.
For people who continue to use polycarbonate food and drink containers, not heating them should also reduce exposure. The acidity of a container's contents and the age and condition of the polycarbonate can also affect how much of the chemical leaches into food or drink.
Alternatives to polycarbonate include polyethylene and polypropylene plastics, as well as glass. Both alternative plastics are usually identifiable by recycling code, a number that should appear inside a triangular symbol on each plastic container. The number 2 marks polyethylene and the number 5, polypropylene. Polycarbonate doesn't have a unique recycling code, but it tends to be assigned the code 7, a category for miscellaneous plastics.
Source:

8. Limiting Exposure, cont’d
Choose powdered formula for infants
Use BPA-free baby bottles and sippy cups
Go with fresh or frozen foods or those packaged in glass or cartons
Select stainless steel BPA-free water bottles
Choose powdered formula which may not have BPA in packaging. Do not put boiling or very hot water, infant formula, or other liquids into BPA-containing bottles while preparing them for your child.
Use infant formula bottles that are BPA free and look for toys that are labeled BPA-free.
Parents should examine bottles and discard them if worn or scratched because scratches can both harbor germs and, in BPA-containing bottles, lead to greater release of BPA. 
Go with fresh or frozen foods. Opt for glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids. Alternatively, look for BPA-free canned goods such as the line from Eden Foods. Rinsing canned fruit or vegetables with water prior to heating and serving could lessen BPA ingestion.
Many metal water bottles are lined with a plastic coating that contains BPA. Look for stainless steel bottles that do not have a plastic liner.
Source:

9. Alternatives to BPA Plastic alternatives Glass and stainless steel
Aluminum paired with a BPA-free epoxy liner
Tritan Copolyester™ by Eastman Chemical
High Density Polyethylene - #2 plastic
Polypropylene - #5 plastic
Grilamid TR-90 – a thermoplastic nylon
Retrieved from the Oregon Environmental Council

10. Alternatives to BPA Epoxy Resin Alternatives (Can Liners) Tetra Paks
Polyester Coatings (DAREX Polyester, PET film)
Based-On Resins (Oleoresin)
Tetra Paks
Polyester coatings have been used by the Japanese since the 1990s because can manufacturers voluntarily reformed their can coating process due to public concern about BPA.
Oleoresin is from natural oils and resins extracted from plants like pine. These cans cost 14% more than BPA cans but costs would likely decline when manufacturers achieve economies of scale. Only work for low acid foods like beans.
Tetra Paks are alternatives to cans. They are made of paperboard and thin layers of polyethylene and aluminum foil. You already see these packages containing juices, soups, and wine.
Retrieved from

11. Actions
Contact food and beverage companies to advocate the removal of BPA from food packaging such as canned foods and canning lids. Educate them about packaging alternatives.
Educate your legislators.
Participate on issues surrounding BPA during the FDA’s public comment period(s) at regulations.gov. 
Tell your friends and family how to limit BPA in their diet.