Maine Gov: Don't Sweat BPA Dangers

If you're worried about the dangers of BPA, you shouldn't be, according to Maine’s governor. The worst thing that could result from exposure to the chemical is that some women could grow "little beards," Paul LePage said last week. LePage made the comment to support his argument that Maine needn’t rush to restrict BPA—which is commonly used in plastics such as water bottles—because there isn’t enough scientific evidence to support the ban.

"There hasn’t been any science that identifies that there is a problem," LePage said. "The only thing that I’ve heard is if you take a plastic bottle and put it in the microwave and you heat it up, it gives off a chemical similar to estrogen. So the worst case is some women may have little beards." Researchers weren’t happy with the governor’s dismissal of numerous scientific studies, the Bangor Daily News reports, though most governmental agencies have yet to give more than a vague caution against the chemical. (More bisphenol A stories.)