Bisphenol A has taken another hit. Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have found that mother’s exposure to BPA may also increase the odds that her children will develop asthma. The researchers used what they called a “well-established mouse model for asthma.”

"All four of our indicators of asthma response showed up in the BPA group, much more so than in the pups of the nonexposed mice," said UTMB professor Randall Goldblum, an author of the paper published in February issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.

The study authors called for more human epidemiological studies to determine the possible human impact of environmental estrogens and to find out if children who have more BPA exposure are more likely to develop asthma. The researchers think human studies are possible because BPA is so prevalent, and most of us are exposed to this chemical. If that’s true, I have to ask: Who might be in the control group of these human studies?

As more consumers hear about these studies and in light of the fact that the FDA is powerless to regulate the chemical, I suspect that consumers will look to natural products retailers and manufacturers for help. They'll ask retailers to filter through products and perhaps carry only BPA-free ones, if possible. They'll ask manufacturers to make the switch to BPA-free packaging, if possible. How are you preparing for this future demand?