What is BPA (Bisphenol A)? Is BPA-Free Plastic Safe?

What is BPA?

BPA, meaning bisphenol A, is an industrial chemical that was primarily used in the production of polycarbonate plastics to increase their durability and resistance to corrosion.

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Since their inception, BPA has been used widely in the linings of canned foods and baby bottles.

Why was BPA banned?

This common material was found to contain endocrine disrupting and cancer causing properties in the past few decades, leading to a federal ban on some BPA products, specifically baby bottles, in the United States in 2012. 

This ban took years to get into the public limelight, due to conflicts of interest in the industry. In 2007, it was discovered that the government-hired BPA consultant had corporate clients such as Dow Chemical and BASF, which were major manufacturers of BPA at the time. Fortunately the scandal accelerated the attention towards BPA and the necessary actions required to reduce their production and selling of BPA-containing products.

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What was BPA replaced with?

Following increasing regulation to ban BPA in specific packaging and baby products, chemical companies looked to other options in the bisphenol family such as bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF).

These substitutes are similar in structure to BPA and there is evidence that they have similar endocrine disrupting properties. In fact, some studies are suggesting that BPS, for example, is even more toxic than BPA, causing negative hormonal effects.

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Chemical societies and European countries are now more aggressively reviewing the effects of these newly introduced compounds that replaced BPA, calling for a more widespread ban on the bisphenol group of chemicals.

Some companies, such as Nalgene, which is known for their control over the reusable plastic water bottles of various sizes, moved from BPA containing plastics to a material called Tritan. However, this new material has been studied and researched concluding that it too has endocrine disrupting properties.

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So, is BPA-free plastic safe?

Unfortunately this leaves us with a struggle for understanding in the commercial world of plastics. “BPA-free” has been advertised heavily in the last 10 years as a method of distinguishing a false sense of safety to consumers with well-meaning interest in their personal health when related to plastic exposure.

BPA-free markings on plastic water bottles, food packaging, and materials do not signify that they are free from all bisphenols. In fact, plastic products that do flaunt this BPA-free tag are even more likely than not to contain BPS and BPF, since a replacement was specifically required to maintain the integrity and structure of the previously BPA-filled construction of their products.

How can I reduce bisphenol exposure?

When it comes to reducing bisphenol exposure, we have collected the important steps you can take today to filter plastics from your air and water, replace plastic cookware, and avoid non-natural fabrics in clothing and bedding.

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When avoiding bisphenols specifically, try to limit the use of:

• Plastics with resin code “7”.
• Plastic tupperwares and plastic cling wraps on food, especially avoiding microwaving of these materials
• Plastic water bottles or other containers with hot liquids
• Canned foods (most contain bisphenol linings)