Are plastic products without bisphenol A really harmless to children?

The US study points out that a chemical that generally replaces BPA may also pose a serious threat to human health, including inhibition of hormones and embryogenesis.

Are plastic products without bisphenol A harmless to children?

Nancy Wayne, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said the results were scary and important. “It’s time to use a stainless steel container and a paper lunch bag.”

BPA is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and is believed to be associated with prostate cancer, infertility, asthma, heart disease and many neurodevelopmental disorders.

To this end, the Australian government urged manufacturers of bottles, duckbill cups and food cans to abandon the use of BPA in 2010. The most commonly used alternative to BPA is bisphenol S (BPS). But as a reproductive endocrinologist, Wien said her team research believes that BPS also causes blast cell variability.

The researchers tested the zebrafish in a low-concentration BPA and BPS environment because the zebrafish had transparent embryos, so scientists could observe the development of blast cells. "The study found that the low concentration of BPS has an effect on embryos comparable to BPA," Wien said. Research suggests that these effects also occur in the human body.

The FoodStandards Australia and New Zealand, which oversees the BPA content of food plastics, points out that people's intake of BPA does not pose health or safety problems.