Consumers nowadays are very concerned with what chemicals are found in household products, especially since the discovery that “BPA” found in water bottle and food container plastics can leach into food and water and cause deleterious effects. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a molecule used to strengthen plastics, however many manufacturers have discontinued it’s use after studies done on animals displayed a link to early growth development and an increase in breast and prostate cancers. Consumers are now consciously buying BPA-free products, although a new study suggests that they may not be any safer than plastics that do contain BPA.
BPA and BPS are found in plastics used to make water bottles. Source: flickr.com
A press release published by Science Daily reports on a study done by a team of scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) who studied the effects of Bisphenol S (BPS), a common alternative to BPA, on zebrafish. This is the first study done to determine the effects of both BPA and BPS on brain cells that control the growth and function of reproductive organs.
The researchers exposed the zebrafish to low doses of BPA and BPS, equivalent to concentrations found in polluted rivers. They found that growth in the embryonic stage of these animals was advanced by as much as 25 hours, which resulted in accelerated egg hatching. As another part of the study, the scientists tagged certain developmental proteins in the brain and discovered that there was a 40% increase in endocrine neurons in zebrafish, which suggests that BPA over-stimulates the reproductive system. Similar results were found with BPS. The team suspects that the increase in neurons could lead to premature puberty and the disruption of the reproductive system, and could have a similar effect on humans.
Zebrafish were used in this study due to their transparent embryos in order to watch the cells as they grow. Source: youtube.com
Not only did this study discover the dangerous effects of BPS, it also found that BPA and BPS act through the estrogen system as well as the thyroid hormone system. Past research showed that BPA only mimics the effect of estrogen, however these scientists discovered that it also mimics the effect of the thyroid hormone system, which has an important influence on brain development. The findings from this study support the hypothesis that endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be contributing to early developmental problems.
Where do we go from here as a society? Currently all plastics used for water bottles and food containers contain either BPA or BPA alternatives, and the only replacement for these plastics is glass. As this is a continuous issue in scientific news and public media, solutions to this problem need to be found. For now, consumers need to be careful of what plastics they buy, and may want to think twice before buying “safer” BPA-free plastics.
For more information on the effects of BPA and BPS, the video below released by the University of Calgary discusses the results of their study:
- Emma Peachey, February 8, 2016
