Experts have long touted BPA-free plastic water bottles as safer for human health, but a new study warns that this may not be the case.
BPA – or bisphenol A – is a chemical commonly used in plastics that is known to disrupt hormones in the body and cause fertility problems, sexual development and other problems.
In addition to water bottles, it can be found in garbage bags, food and beverage containers, dishes and other products.
As the public became increasingly concerned about the harmful effects of BPA, manufacturers began replacing it with ‘safer’ alternative bisphenols.
But two of the most commonly used alternatives – bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) – actually behave almost identically to the dangerous chemical they were intended to replace, new research has shown.
The findings suggest that these BPA alternatives are no less harmful than the real thing, as they disrupt hormones and lead to the same adverse health effects.
“The use of these bisphenols should be stopped because of the risks they may pose to human and animal health,” said researcher José Villalaín of the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Spain.
Experts have long touted BPA-free plastic water bottles as safer for human health. But a new study warns that this may not be the case
Villalaín, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, used computer simulations to observe how BPA, BPF and BPS interact with cell membranes.
Understanding how these bisphenols interact with cell membranes is critical to understanding how they affect human health.
Cell membranes are the protective barriers that surround human cells. They determine which chemicals can move in and out.
When toxic chemicals – such as BPA – infiltrate these membranes, they can damage the health and functioning of cells.
Villalaín simulated twelve different systems, each with different amounts and arrangements of these chemicals, as well as a modeled cell membrane designed with lifelike complexity.
He ran each simulation for 1000 nanoseconds. During this time, he tracked the movements of each molecule and how they interacted with each other.
This allowed him to measure where the bisphenols positioned themselves, how they affected the fluidity of the membrane and whether they formed clusters.
Two of the most commonly used alternatives – bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) – actually behave almost identically to the dangerous chemical they were intended to replace
The study revealed striking similarities between the way BPA, BPF and BPS interacted with the modeled cell membranes.
Villalaín published his findings in the Journal of Xenobiotics in September.
All three chemicals were attracted to the same location just below the membrane surface – about the width of a few atoms deep.
They also all made the membranes more fluid and formed clusters when present in higher concentrations.
That clustering behavior is especially concerning because it could affect cellular function.
Normally, the human body flushes out bisphenols within 24 to 48 hours.
Because these chemicals are present in so many products that people use every day, the human body is constantly exposed to them.
Prolonged exposure can therefore cause these toxic chemicals to build up in organs, tissues and cells.
‘Since bisphenols tend to accumulate in the lipid phase (the part of the cell membrane where molecules responsible for the transport of substances and chemical signals in and out of cells are located), the concentration of bisphenols in biological membranes can be significant ‘, said Villalain. .
His research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting these chemicals could be “deplorable substitutions.”
But this study does not provide direct evidence of the harmful effects of BPF and BPD in humans, even though their identical behavior to BPA is a strong indicator that these three chemicals should also have identical health effects.
Therefore, Villalaín’s research calls for further research into these alternative chemicals to better understand their impact on human health.