A study by Bao et al. states, "National biomonitoring data in the United States show that BPA [bisphenol A] is detectable in more than 90% of urine samples in the general population" (Bao et al.). There has been a growing concern in recent years of the impact environmental pollution can have on human health, and of particular concern is plastic pollution. Certain chemicals known as bisphenols that are used in the production of many plastics have been singled out as having a potential effect on human health. Studies have linked human exposure to bisphenols to many harmful effects on health. These studies have prompted heavy regulations in the European Union on the usage of bisphenols in consumer products; however, regulation remains sparse in the United States. As more studies have been released which bring further cause for concern regarding bisphenols, the need for regulations on bisphenols in the United States has become clear. Bisphenols should be banned for use in consumer goods because of the numerous negative health effects associated with exposure to these chemicals.
Bisphenol A is the most infamous of the bisphenols used in plastics. BPA is a chemical compound necessary for the production of many different types of plastics. The CDC fact sheet on BPA found that plastics manufactured with BPA are used to make various consumer products including: beverage and food containers, plastic dinnerware, and toys. They also found that BPA is in epoxy resins used in the protective linings of food cans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Due to the widespread use of BPA in plastics, the vast majority of people in the United States are regularly exposed to BPA. Studies released in the last twenty years demonstrating negative health effects associated with BPA exposure have raised public concern given the widespread use of BPA in plastics. These studies have inspired regulatory bodies in the European Union to issue restrictions on the use of BPA in certain consumer applications. The European Food Safety Authority factsheet on BPA details the history of EU regulations on BPA. The EFSA reports that the European Union banned the use of BPA in plastic baby bottles in 2011, and placed further restrictions on the use of BPA in food packaging and containers in 2018 (European Food Safety Authority). Plastic manufacturers have started using other bisphenols such as bisphenol S and bisphenol F in response to concerns over the toxicity of BPA. BPS and BPF are considered analogues to BPA, meaning they share a similar chemical structure. Studies have been released which demonstrate that these analogues are just as toxic as BPA. A study by a research group led by Sophie Fouyet, a professor at the University of Paris, found that these BPA substitutes are not less toxic than BPA. Fouyet et al. state, " BPA substitution by BPF and BPS is not safe for human health, particularly for pregnant women and their fetus" (Fouyet et al.). These analogues to BPA which are being increasingly used in plastics are not any more safe than BPA itself.
One of the reasons bisphenols need to be banned is because exposure to bisphenols disrupts hormonal balance which negatively affects cardiovascular health. Bisphenols disrupt the endocrine system, the system of tissues that release and regulate hormones in the human body. The disruption of the endocrine system caused by exposure to bisphenols can lead to the development of various cardiovascular diseases. A group of researchers led by Chichen Zhang, a professor at the Southern Medical University in China, released a study assessing the relationship between levels of bisphenols detected in urine, and sex hormones in male participants. The study found that exposure to bisphenols can alter sex hormone levels. Zhang et al. write, "In conclusion, this study revealed that BPF [bisphenol F] was positively associated with TT [Total Testosterone]....Additionally, this study might have potential reproductive health-related impacts, where we demonstrated that BPS [bisphenol S] and BPF [bisphenol F] exposure could also have endocrine-disrupting abilities and alter sex hormone levels" (Zhang et al.). The study demonstrates that these bisphenols can alter sex hormone levels which can disrupt the delicate balance of the human endocrine system. This disruption of the endocrine system has been shown to negatively affect cardiovascular health. In a review of studies investigating the endocrine-disrupting effects of BPA, a group of researchers led by Maria Fonesca, Professor at the University of Lisbon, found that BPA has been linked to cardiovascular disease. Fonesca et al. write, "The evidence is consistent, reporting that there is an association between exposure to BPA and an increased prevalence of CVDs [cardiovascular diseases]" (Fonesca et al.). They go on to explain that BPA has been linked to been linked to heart failure, hypertension, and diabetes type II in particular. This review demonstrates the consensus among researchers that exposure to BPA is associated with a development of a wide range of cardiovascular diseases. The endocrine disrupting effects of bisphenols can have a serious impact on cardiovascular health, demonstrating the need for regulations on bisphenol use.
Another reason bisphenols need to be banned is because exposure leads to the development of metabolic disorders. Studies have linked exposure to BPA to metabolic disorders including obesity and diabetes. A research group led by Fabiana Oliviero, a toxicology researcher at the Univeristy of Toulouse, released a study on the link between bisphenols and metabolic disorders for the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Oliviero et al., write, "Exposure to BPA is associated with the development of metabolic disorders such as obesity, type II diabetes or fatty liver disease.... Regarding the obesogenic potential of BPS [bisphenol S], which is the most common BPA substitute, it appears that it could be a metabolic disruptor targeting several metabolic organs, both centrally and peripherally (liver, adipose tissue, muscle, central nervous system)" (Oliviero et al.). The study finds that BPA is a metabolic disruptor, and suggests that BPS might be a metabolic disruptor as well. As metabolic disruptors, bisphenols can severely impair the function of the human metabolic system. Disruption in the metabolic systems can contribute to the development of obesity and fatty liver disease. Not only do bisphenols contribute to the development of type II diabetes by impairing cardiovascular health, they also contribute to the development of the condition by impairing metabolic function.
Lastly, bisphenols need to be banned because exposure to bisphenols during pregnancy has a negative effect on a child's development. Exposure to bisphenols during the pre-natal period has been shown to adversely affect the behavior of a child. A study by a research group led by Joseph Braun, a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, looked into the effects of pre-natal exposure to bisphenols on later childhood development. Braun et al., state "Maternal urinary BPA concentration during pregnancy was associated with some aspects of children’s behaviors at 3 y of age: specifically, poorer reciprocal social behaviors among all children, more internalizing and somatization behaviors in boys, and poorer working memory and planning/organizing abilities in boys" (Braun et al.). Bisphenol exposure is associated with underdeveloped social skills in all children, and an underdeveloped working memory and organizing skills in boys. This impairment may affect a child's academic performance, and a child's ability to make and maintain relationships. Poorer social skills and poorer working memories may impair the ability of the effected child to hold a job later in life. A research group led by Antonietta Santoro, an associate professor at the University of Salerno, published a study which further investigated how BPA exposure during pregnancy impairs the brain development of the child. Santoro et al. find:
It [BPA] exerts deleterious [harmful] activity on brain development and functions, affecting neurogenesis [creation of neurons], synaptic plasticity [important neurochemical foundations of learning and memory] and postnatal brain maturation, inducing neuro-inflammation and neuro-degeneration. As a consequence of the decrease in synaptic plasticity, impairment of cognitive abilities occurs, including learning and memory. The few available studies in humans suggest the possibility that BPA can increase hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression in a sex- and age-specific manner. (Santoro et al.)This study shows that exposure to BPA during pregnancy can severely impair the ability of a child's brain to develop, which can lead to serious learning, memory, and psychological impairments later in life. Hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression disorders are the possible long-term consequences of the impairment of brain development caused by BPA. The development of these disorders significantly impairs the quality of life of the individual afflicted with them. Given how widespread human exposure to BPA is in the United States, and how it is nearly impossible to avoid products which use BPA, this link between BPA and childhood development issues is of particular concern.
The FDA disagrees with petitioners calling for bisphenols to be banned for use in food packaging and containers. The FDA released a statement on the use of BPA in food packaging and containers in 2012, with the last update to the statement being in 2014. The FDA's statement says the following, "FDA’s current perspective, based on its most recent safety assessment, is that BPA is safe at the current levels occurring in foods...the available information continues to support the safety of BPA for the currently approved uses in food containers and packaging" (Food and Drug Administration). The current position of the FDA is that BPA exposure is not harmful at levels currently found in food. This position held by the FDA is outdated, studies have been released since which demonstrate negative health effects at BPA levels well within what the FDA considers to be safe levels of exposure. Researchers Frederick Vom Saal, Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri, and Laura Vandenberg, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, published a meta-analysis on the current scientific consensus on safe bisphenol levels in 2021. Vom Saal and Vandenberg write, "Based on an integration of the academic investigator studies and data from the FDA’s guideline study, a majority of the independent academic investigators concluded that the FDA’s acceptable daily intake (safe) dose of BPA should be 20 000-fold lower than the current estimated 'safe' dose" (Vom Saal and Vandemberg). They go on to explain the wide sample of studies demonstrating negative health effects associated with BPA exposure at lower doses than what is currently deemed safe by the FDA.Vom Saal and Vandemberg make it clear that most scientists in the field do not agree with the FDA's assessment of the acceptable levels of exposure to BPA. The FDA's assessment on the safety of BPA in food packaging and containers hasn't been updated in nearly a decade, and studies released since it was published have proven the FDA's assessment to be faulty. The FDA's outdated assessment enables plastic manufacturers to continue using bisphenols in food packaging and food containers, further exposing more people to these toxic chemicals.
The need for regulation banning the use of bisphenols in consumer applications is abundantly clear. Studies have demonstrated that exposure to bisphenols negatively affects cardiovascular health, potentially leading to heart failure. Studies have also clearly shown that bisphenols can cause metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. The effects of bisphenols go beyond impacting cardiovascular health or causing metabolic disorders in adults. A mother's exposure to Bisphenols during pregnancy can severely impair her child's brain development, leading to a variety of developmental disorders. There is little debate that exposure to bisphenols has a significant and negative impact on human health. The United States needs to join the European Union in banning bisphenols in food packaging and containers, and ideally in all consumer applications.
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