What Is BPA & Is It Safe?

 

 

Where is BPA found and is it bad for you? Our guide covers everything you need to know.

 

 

What Is BPA?

BPA is a human-made chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic. It is found in our everyday lives, used in products such as plastic bottles, food cans, and cash register receipts. This harmful chemical mimics estrogen and may disrupt hormonal balance. 

What Does BPA Stand For?  

BPA stands for bisphenol A. BPA is the most common of bisphenol chemicals, which also includes BPF, BPS, BPAF, and BPZ.

What Does BPA Do To The Body? 

BPA can be harmful to the body in various ways such as mimicking hormones and messing with both male and female fertility. This chemical gets in the way of the body’s natural function leading to negative effects on the reproductive system and more. 

  • Mimics hormones and can mess with the body’s natural hormone levels

  • Affects fertility

  • Affects pregnancy

  • Can increase stillbirth rate

  • Can increase miscarriage rate

  • Reduces sperm count 

  • Reduces sperm activity 

  • Disrupts normal cell function 

  • Can cause cancer 

  • Toxic to the liver 

  • Can contribute to obesity

  • Can increase risk of diabetes 

What Hormone Does BPA Mimic? 

BPA mimics estrogen, however, it is also known to mimic testosterone [1]. It has also been shown to affect the thyroid and other hormones [2]. Consequently, BPA has been shown to have effects on both female and male fertility and development. 

What is BPA in? 

BPA is everywhere! A lot of our daily products include BPA as an ingredient and are harmful to our health. Million Marker has Approved Products that exclude BPA and promote health. 

Listed below are some of the products BPA is commonly found in: 

  • Infant feeding bottles

  • Toys 

  • Food and beverage packaging

  • Can linings 

  • Receipts and papers

  • Recycled paper products, including toilet paper [3]

  • Dental sealants 

Is BPA Safe? 

As an endocrine disruptor, BPA is not safe and can be harmful. Exposure to BPA can come in various forms ranging from oral consumption released from food packages to skin contact through cosmetics, toys, and receipt papers [4]. For these reasons, Million Marker lists BPA as one of the chemicals to avoid.

Is BPA Toxic? 

Why is BPA bad? BPA is toxic and various countries have now banned the manufacturing of products containing this chemical due to its risk to human health [1]. 

BPA can also cause environmental impacts such as: 

  • Water contamination

  • Air pollution from manufacturers 

What is BPA Free Plastic? 

Many products now include the label “BPA free”. This label may indicate the product is free of BPA exposure. Although some of these products still can contain BPA, due to cross contamination. Further, there are other harmful chemicals used by some products to replace BPA, that are still harmful. These include BPS and BPF. 

How to Avoid BPA 

BPA mimicking estrogen and testosterone gets in the way of natural and proper reproductive function for both men and women. Avoiding this chemical prevents your chances of conception from decreasing and protects your body from harmful health impacts. 

  • Avoid foods and beverages stored in cans or plastic: Substitute plastic products for ones made of glass, metals, and/or wood. This is an easy way to identify and choose between consumer products coming in different forms of packaging. 

  • Research your products.

Specific BPA Studies

A 2010 study explored the correlation of BPA to male sexual dysfunction [5]. The authors found that BPA-exposed workers had a higher risk of sexual dysfunction than unexposed workers. They cited evidence from animal studies showing impacts on male sex hormone levels, male reproductive organs, and sperm production. 

Further studies have also exposed the positive relationship between higher urinary BPA concentration and miscarriages, as well as BPA exposure generating a greater risk for obesity [7].

Sources

[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749117311703
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23994667/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21939283/
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412011001206
[5] https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/25/2/519/671436?login=true
[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26011304/
[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32313524/