What is BPA?
BPA stands for bisphenol A, an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics and resin since the 50's.
BPA’s are found in polycarbonate plastics, most commonly used in food and beverage containers; and in epoxy resins, used to coat the inside of metal products like food cans, bottle tops, and supply lines.
There is research showing that BPA can seep into food and beverages from their containers, which is a concern because of the health effects BPA has on the brain and prostate gland of fetuses, infants, and children (1,2,3). There is also a link between BPA and high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (4).
BPA mimics the estrogen hormone when it enters the body. According to the AAP, BPA can potentially effect the timing of puberty, decrease fertility, increase body fat, and affect the nervous and immune systems (5,6,7).
Is "BPA Free" Safe?
BPA-Free plastic is made of BPA substitutes that may be equally as harmful. Two of these substitutes include BPS (bisphenol S) and BPF (bisphenol F). A 2019 study showed a correlation between BPS and BPF and obesity in children and teens (8).
In 2017 the EPA tested the endocrine disruption of BPA, BPS, BPF, BPAP, BPAF, BPZ, and BPB. Every single one displayed estrogenic effects; and BPAF, BPB, and BPZ were all stronger than BPA (9).
A 2018 experiment exposed female mice fetuses and newly born male mice to small amounts of common BPA substitutes. This resulted in abnormal eggs and lower sperm counts that continued on for three generations (10).
A large misconception is that BPA free plastics do not contain microplastics. This is not true. If something is plastic, whether BPA free or not, most likely it will contain microplastics. BPA free simply means it is not made with bisphenol A, and the microplastics will not leach BPA. However, they can leach whichever substitute its made with.
Take a Breath
We live in a plastic world. We can’t escape it. So take a deep breath, and remember that stressing about toxins can be worse for your health than the toxins themselves.
Do what you can, and then just focus on helping your body’s natural detoxification process. Our bodies are smart. They know what to do - as long as they aren’t overloaded.
Pick the area of your family’s lives that is most important to you when it comes to microplastics. For us, we are more concerned about prioritizing anything that comes into contact with food/drink or the mouth, and less about toddler toys, clothes, etc.
*note on silicone
Some people are leary of silicone because of how porous it is, and are concerned about what all it may “trap.” Others believe it to potentially be this generations plastic.
My stance is, we know what we know about the harms of plastic. We don’t know what we don’t know about potential harms of silicone. So if the only choice is between plastic or silicone, I would say silicone is the safer choice. However, if glass or stainless steel is an option - that would be my first choice.
SOURCES:
1 Kyoko Itoh, Takeshi Yaoi, Shinji Fushiki; Bisphenol A, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, and brain development
2 Grohs, M.N., Reynolds, J.E., Liu, J. et al. Prenatal maternal and childhood bisphenol a exposure and brain structure and behavior of young children.
3 Wolstenholme JT, Rissman EF, Connelly JJ. The role of Bisphenol A in shaping the brain, epigenome and behavior.
4 Bae S, Hong YC. Exposure to bisphenol A from drinking canned beverages increases blood pressure: randomized crossover trial. Hypertension. 2015 Feb
5 Johanna R. Rochester,
Bisphenol A and human health: A review of the literature, Reproductive Toxicology
6 Ayelet Ziv-Gal, Ph.D.; Jodi A. Flaws, Ph.D. Evidence for bisphenol A-induced female infertility: a review (2007–2016)
7 Ejaredar, M., Lee, Y., Roberts, D. et al. Bisphenol A exposure and children’s behavior: A systematic review. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 27, 175–183 (2017)
8 Melanie H Jacobson, Miriam Woodward, Wei Bao, Buyun Liu, Leonardo Trasande, Urinary Bisphenols and Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Children and Adolescents, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Volume 3, Issue 9, September 2019, Pages 1715–1726
9 Robin Mesnage, Alexia Phedonos, Matthew Arno, Sucharitha Balu, J. Christopher Corton, Michael N. Antoniou, Editor’s Highlight: Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Bisphenol A Alternatives Activate Estrogen Receptor Alpha in Human Breast Cancer Cells, Toxicological Sciences, Volume 158, Issue 2, August 2017, Pages 431–443
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