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A research team from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, and University of Cambridge has established a link between high levels of urinary Bisphenol-A (BPA) and severe coronary artery disease (or a narrowing of the arteries) which can eventually lead to heart disease.

BPA is a controversial chemical commonly used in plastic food and drink containers. It has previously caused concerns over health risks to babies, as it is present in some baby's bottles. Following a PCMD study in September 2008 many nations moved to ban BPA from the manufacture of baby's bottles and other feeding equipment.

BPA is used in polycarbonate plastic products such as refillable drinks containers, compact disks, some plastic eating utensils and many other products in everyday use. It is one of the world's highest production volume chemicals, with 5.16 million tonnes produced in 2008 according to a 2009 issue of Chemical Weekly.

The new study published in PLoS ONE shows that urinary BPA concentration was significantly higher in those with severe CAD compared to those with normal coronary arteries.

The results suggest that associations between urinary BPA and CAD are directly correlated.

Professor Tamara Galloway, lead toxicologist on the study from University of Exeter, said: "These results are important because they give us a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the association between BPA exposure and heart disease."

The Huffington Post reveals that in a previous study in PLoS ONE showed a correlation between BPA and diabetes. Additionally, the blog adds that Spanish researchers found that BPA spurred mice's' bodies to release nearly twice as much insulin a normal. In humans, excess release of insulin is linked with Type 2 diabetes.