The British Heart Foundation is to fund research exploring the link between Bisphenol A (BPA), a manmade chemical found in commonly used plastics, and heart disease. The grant is for 119,169 pounds.

In the UK, 2.6 million people are living with heart disease. Studies have suggested that some manmade chemicals might be linked to development of heart disease, including bisphenol A (BPA) that is used in some types of plastic containers.

A research team from Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Exeter and the University of Exeter will try to confirm whether BPA may cause heart disease. They will measure levels of BPA in about 1,000 people who are receiving bypass surgery for heart disease at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire to see if there is a link.

They will also look at BPA levels among a study group of thousands of people from Norfolk, who have been followed for more than 10 years as part of an ongoing research project to look at the development of heart disease. Clarifying whether BPA is linked to heart disease could impact public health by leading to potential controls on its use.