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A chemical commonly used in food and beverage packaging has come under scrutiny after a study has claimed it could increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is widely used in epoxy lining in food and beverage containers as well as polycarbonate plastics in consumer products. It is present in 90% of the US population.

The study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) today (17 September), claimed that higher BPA concentrations were associated with diagnoses of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

However, The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has called for follow-up studies after it highlighted that the authors of the study have said that study "does not demonstrate that humans are experiencing adverse health affects at the extremely low levels of Bispehnol A to which the general population is exposed".

BPF industrial issues executive Sarah Plant said: "For over 50 years, consumer products produced using Bisphenol A as an intermediate have been safely used contributing to the convenience of products we are using in every day life but also to public safety."

The study was a joint venture between the University of Exeter, University of Plymouth and the University of Iowa in America.

Professor David Melzer, professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter said the study was "and exciting finding, but it is also just the first step in understanding the role of BPA".

A joint statement from the British Soft Drinks Association and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said: "Bottled water and plastic soft drinks containers do not contain Bisphenol A. Food and drink can linings that include Bisphenol A contain well below the Tolerable Daily Intake level set by the European Food Safety Authority."

In July, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed that exposure to BPA is well below the tolerable daily intake of 0.05 mg/kg bw previously set by EFSA, even for infants.