September 17, 2018

expert reaction to study looking at BPA (Bisphenol A) replacements in plastics and potential reproductive problems in lab mice

Research published in Science that shows the use of a plastic additive (Bisphenol A) is linked to potential reproductive problems in mice.

Dr Oliver Jones, Associate Professor of Chemistry, RMIT University in Melbourne Australia, said:

“It is perhaps not surprising that chemical compounds that are structurally similar can act can act in a similar way and that substances that chemically ‘look like’ BPA may have similar effects, indeed this study is not the first to show this to be the case.

“BPA itself has been around since the 1960s and is one of the most studied chemicals on earth with thousands of scientific papers published on it.  However, nobody has ever proven it causes harm at the levels to which people are normally exposed to it.  BPA is known to be metabolised and excreted by the body very quickly.

“Public concern over BPA has led to the generation of a whole family of BPA replacers including BPF BPAF, BPE and BPS.  These are chemically very similar to BPA but have not been as extensively tested for potential health effects, so further study in this area is welcome.

“The present study is very interesting and conducted by well-known and respected researchers.  However, the number of animals used in the work is very low and the animals themselves were very inbred.  It should also be remembered that mice are not mini humans.  Some chemicals that cause problems for them don’t affect us as all.  For example, Aspirin causes birth defects in most rodents, but not in humans.  While this is very clever work I don’t think people need be alarmed about these results.”

Declared interests

Dr Oliver Jones: “I have no conflict of interests to declare.”