So you thought you were safe buying BPA-Free products? Think Again

So you thought you were safe buying BPA-Free products? Think again!

By Theodora Filis

BPA has been used in water bottles and other various products, such as shatterproof windows, and eyewear, and in resins coating metal food cans, bottle tops, and water supply pipes. The composition of your plastic product can depend on the year you bought it. BPA, or bisphenol A, is an organic synthetic compound that's used to make certain plastics and epoxy resins. Because it's clear and tough, it has been especially useful for making plastic water bottles, BPA has been shown to dissolve into our water, and once ingested can potentially cause hormonal problems.

BPA can mimic the actions of estrogen in our bodies, a hormone known to be involved in breast development, regulating periods, maintaining pregnancies, and many other things. Concerns about the negative health effects of BPA have led to some bans, as well as a demand for BPA-free plastics. So, the problem is solved, right? Not exactly.

It turns out that a common chemical replacement for BPA, fluorene-9-bisphenol (or BHPF), has now been shown capable of messing with our estrogen levels too. And like BPA, it's dissolving into our water.

Using "BPA-free" plastic products could be as harmful to human health -- including a developing brain -- as those products that contain the controversial chemical, suggest scientists in a new study led by the University of Missouri and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - Feb 18, 2020.

The new co-polyester BPA-free plastic is an almost undistinguishable substitute. Marketed as a safe alternative to polycarbonate, it is just as hard, just as sleek, and just as durable. But there is one very big caveat — it’s not clear just what the BPA was replaced with, and whether or not that chemical has been tested for estrogenic activity.

There are two known BPA replacement chemicals: Bisphenol S and F, known as BPS and BPF. These two compounds function very similarly to BPA, helping the plastic achieve a solid and sturdy consistency. Research published indicated that BPF and BPS may act as endocrine disruptors messing with hormones — similar to what BPA does. And based on the research, the authors conclude that these two BPA substitutes are both as “hormonally active as BPA.”

The BPA issue did little to influence the FDA’s protocol and mandates. In fact, in 2014, a group of FDA scientists published a study finding that low-level exposure to BPA is safe. This study was shown as evidence that the long-standing concerns about the health hazards of BPA were unfounded. In clearer terms, the roughly 1,000 published studies that found that low-level exposure to BPA can lead to serious health problems were simply inaccurate.

Needless to say, The plastics industry and the agencies that regulate BPA sided with the FDA’s position.

Most plastics are made from petroleum (oil or natural gas) and can contain a whole host of other chemicals that are never labeled and that can be toxic. And amidst the murky waters of marketing — where we are led to believe that bottled water is cleaner and pure, and BPA-free means you are in the clear.

Making sure you protect yourself and your family with the correct knowledge and becoming more aware of what you are ingesting is your body's best defense.