BPA Replacement Could Be Just As Bad for People As BPA
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monticelllo/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers at the University of Calgary found that a chemical often used to replace the plastic chemical bisphenol A — formerly used in baby bottles and sippy cups before the FDA required thoe products to be BPA-Free — may be worse for people than BPA itself.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, notes that BPA has been linked to “increased risk of developing social, psychiatric and behavioral challenges later in life.” While adults can also be impacted by BPA, researchers say the fetal brain is particularly vulnerable.
According to the study, bisphenol S is the primary replacement for BPA in thermal paper used for credit card receipts. Many products labeled “BPA-Free” contain BPS. Researchers exposed embryonic zebrafish to small doses of both compounds and found that both can alter the normal developmental timing of at least one critical section of the brain.
In fact, researchers say, BPS was linked with higher levels of abnormal growth surges of neurons in the brains of the the zebrafish than BPA was.
In a news release, one of the study’s authors said that “finding the mechanism linking low doses of BPA (or BPS) to adverse brain development and hyperactivity is almost like finding a smoking gun.”
Researchers recommend that pregnant women limit their exposure to bisphenols entirely — including BPA and BPS.
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