Jakarta, IO – Recently, there were rumors that reusable water cooler containers trigger health issues, potentially including cancer, infertility and hormonal problems, as they contain bisphenol A (“BPA”), a chemical contained in resin, tin, or plastic packaging intended to reinforce them and make them reusable. The actual portion of BPA in such containers is generally very small, and it does not decompose easily.
But can BPA cause cancer or not?
In the “The Truth about the BPA-related Health Polemics” media meet held in Jakarta last Friday (30/09/2022), Chairman of the Indonesia Cancer Foundation (Yayasan Kanker Indonesia – “YKI”)
Prof. dr. Aru Wisaksono Sudoyo, Sp.PD-KHOM, declared that correlating cancer with BPA is inappropriate. “Up to now there has been no proof, and we do not have sufficient data, to be able to positively declare that BPA causes cancer. We need to collect more data in the next few years, until we can be certain of it,” he said. Prof. Aru explains that data from valid scientific studies show that cancer is primarily caused by three factors: obesity, a high-fat diet, and an unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, sedentariness, and alcohol consumption). Other factors, such as exposure to chemicals from the environment, is insignificant, at about 2%. “It is much more appropriate to connect cancer with smoking than with BPA. After all, cigarettes are the main cause of lung cancer. Once again, there are conflicting data concerning whether or no BPA causes cancer. We’ve better things to do. We need to be more concerned with the fact that the number of young smokers in Indonesia continue to increase every day, and that we continue to be the number one smoking country in the world. On the other hand, increased life expectancy actually increases risk of getting cancer in the long term,” said Prof. Aru, who stopped smoking in 1990.
“Fun fact”: in Indonesia, cancers of the lung, large intestine, and prostate are the top three cancer our men suffer, while breast and cervical cancers are the top prevalence for women.