This page gives you a brief introduction to bisphenol A (BPA) and discusses the problems associated with the replacement of BPA with other similar bisphenols – for more details, see the latest news on BPA in our blog.
BPA is a known endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) that most people in the industrialised world are exposed to. Human biomonitoring studies have shown that people in Europe are widely exposed to BPA; with data finding that 92% of adults from 11 European countries had BPA in their urine. The European Environment Agency (EEA) compared this data with safety levels, and calculated that in these countries the proportion of participants with levels posing a potential health concern ranges from 71% to 100%, as displayed in the figure below.
Source: The European Environment Agency based on HBM4EU data.
There are a whole family of other bisphenols, such as BPS and BPF – see our Toxic Soup report and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)’s information on bisphenols to learn more.
What is BPA used in?
BPA is used in the manufacture of clear polycarbonate plastic, and to manufacture other plastics, including the lining inside food and drink cans.
Products often made with bisphenol A include:
- Bottles in water dispensers
- Plastic tableware
- Dental fillings
- Lenses for glasses
- Plastic sheeting for glazing
How are we exposed to BPA?
We are mainly exposed to BPA via ingestion. BPA may leach into food from polycarbonate plastic packaging and from food and drink can linings.
Exposure may also arise from BPA-related materials used in dental sealant, clothing and other consumer goods. House dust may also be an exposure source.
Babies and toddlers can be particularly exposed to BPA due to their tendency to put products in their mouth and because BPA is used in some products for children, for example, some toys and baby clothes. This is a concern because in comparison to adults, babies and toddlers are particularly sensitive to the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals, which, for example, may impact brain development.
What does BPA do to our bodies?
BPA is able to de-rail the chemical messenger system in the body by mimicking or disrupting oestrogen and other hormones. In fact, BPA was first found to be able mimic oestrogen, the female hormone, back in the 1930s.
The health effects linked with exposure to BPA include: breast cancer, prostate cancer, endometriosis, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, altered immune system and effects on reproduction, brain development and behaviour, including behaviour in children. See page 53 of the HBM4EU Newsletter for more information on the health impacts of BPA.
EU regulations on BPA in food packaging
The European Food Safety Authority recently reviewed over 800 scientific studies and in April 2023, they concluded that all age groups are at risk of harmful effects as a result of BPA in food. Based on their findings they set the Tolerable Daily Intake, or safe level for ingestion, to be 20,000 times lower than the previous temporary level set in 2015.
In response, the European Commission are preparing an initiative to ban BPA in food contact materials including in plastic and coated packaging. However, to avoid replacing BPA with other harmful substances they must extend this to other bisphenols.
The following table shows EU regulatory action on BPA up until 2020.
Source: The European Environment Agency
Other Bisphenols
With increasing regulations on and a subsequent decline in, the use of BPA, alternatives such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) have increasingly been used as replacements. Findings from human biomonitoring data published in 2022 show that median levels of BPS and BPF in urine are increasing in all European regions.
These alternative bisphenols have a similar structure to BPA and evidence has shown they also have similar endocrine disrupting properties, which CHEM Trust has written about in our Toxic Soup report.
Three bisphenols, including BPA, are listed on the EU’s candidate list of substances of very high concern. The other ones listed are BPB as it has been identified as an EDC for human health and the environment, and 2,2-bis(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methylpentane as it has been identified as toxic for reproduction.
To safeguard human health and the environment, a robust and comprehensive restriction on all bisphenols in consumer products is required. This grouping approach is crucial to preventing regrettable substitution whereby one harmful chemical is replaced by another chemical, with a similar structure, that is later found out to also be harmful.
ECHA and the EU Member States are addressing the risk of regrettable substitution by assessing 148 bisphenols. They found that 34 of these may require restrictions under the EU chemicals regulation, REACH, due to effects on the hormone system and on reproduction. ECHA have stated that this number may change as more information on bisphenols becomes available.
This timeline illustrates the time from the initial health concerns about BPA to actions taken to regulate it, up until 2017.
For more information
For more information on BPA and other bisphenols, see our news stories on the 2023 revised EFSA opinion on BPA, and on bisphenols in children’s products. You can also see the latest news on BPA in our blog. If you are concerned about BPA exposure, see our reduce your risk website pages here.
HBM4EU, the European human biomonitoring research project, has some helpful factsheets on bisphenols.
