OBJECTIVESConcerns over dietary exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, have been raised because BPA is contained in resins and plastics commonly used for the preservation of food and beverages. The purpose of the present study was to assess daily intake levels of BPA in a group of male subjects by measuring total urinary BPA (free BPA plus BPA released by treatment with β-glucuronidase), as well as determining intra-individual variation in BPA excretion.

METHODSTwenty-four-hour urine was collected from 5 subjects for 5 consecutive days for the evaluation of between-day variation in urinary BPA excretion and from 36 male subjects for the estimation of the level of daily BPA intake. BPA in the urine samples was measured by GC/MS/MS following enzymatic hydrolysis of BPA glucuronate, solid phase extraction, and derivatization.

RESULTSA large between-day variation was found over 5 days for the daily excretion of urinary BPA in the 5 subjects. The daily excretion of urinary BPA was distributed log-normally in the 36 male subjects, with the median value being 1.2 μg/day (range: <0.21-14 μg/day), which was far below the Tolerable Daily Intake (0.01 mg/kg bw) recommended by a scientific committee in the European Commission in 2002. However, the maximum estimated intake per body weight (0.2 μg/kg/day) was only one order of magnitude lower than the reported lowest level for reproductive/behavioral effects in pregnant mice (2 μg/kg/day).

CONCLUSIONSMeasuring urinary BPA in urine is a suitable approach for estimating short-term BPA intake levels in individuals and/or estimating the average exposure level of populations. Urine analyses will be increasingly important in the human health risk assessment of BPA.

A total of 78 patients were operated on for senile cataract in our hospital in 1985. The number almost doubled to 142 in 1992, more than 90 percent of whom received the intraocular lens. We asked each patient postoperatively to submit a questionnaire, and found the greatest inconvenience suffered before surgery was the difficulty in reading the letters. Patients with senile cataract have anxiety due to extremely weak eyesight, therefore, we believe it is very important for them to receive orientation before the operation. Until recently, we used the B5-sized (10.12″×7.17″) leaflet for a guide to the operation, but the type was too small for them to read. We renewed the guide by using a F8-sized (17.95″× 14.96″) sketch book. We put them in the sickrooms Just before they patients left our hospital, we asked them for their opinion about the guide. 90 percent of the patients said that they were satisfied with the size of the type, all of them said that the contents are easy to understand, and 50 percent said they read the guide more than twice.
In conclusion, we found that the sketch book, full of illustrations, was quite convenient for senile patients and read repeatedly. It was also a great help to them, because it gave them encouragement and made it easy for them to prepare themselves for the operation.