The chemical Bisphenol A, or as it is more commonly known – BPA, is a plastic-based chemical used in the building and coating of many food containers. The chemical has long connected to heart disease and type 2 diabetes new research shows there is another danger to BPA exposure. TechTimes reports: It suggests that higher concentration of the chemical in the blood may increase risk for preterm birth among pregnant women. For the new study, which was published in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, researchers analyzed the blood samples of pregnant women and the amniotic fluid from their fetus. They found that the women whose bloodstream contained higher levels of BPA were more likely to have preterm birth compared with women with lower levels of BPA suggesting that BPA may cause abnormal inflammation that may lead to problems during pregnancy. BPA binds to estrogen receptors including those that cause inflammation. Abnormal inflammation boosts likelihood of pregnancy complications. “Increased BPA concentration is associated with an increased risk for preterm birth (PTB) or preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM) depending on the maternal-fetal compartment(s) affected,” the researchers wrote in their study, it is the first study to investigate the role of BPA on the [...]