BPA SUBSTITUTES AND ITS EFFECT IN HEALTH

Plastic is a wide word-spread synthetic or semi-synthetic material made up by large  of large molecules called polymers. This material is part of our daily life, and it is present in a lot of things such as cups, disposable dishes, toys and so on. Polymers are big chains of large molecules; the tiny blocks of these large chains are called monomers and they are the basic unit of polymers. To link those units sometimes is necessary to use chemicals called plasticizers, they are molecules that allow the union between monomers. One of the famous plasticizers is a compound named bisphenol A, it is known by its aka BPA.  Once they have been used in the production of plastic, it stays in its structure and can seep from the container or object that contains it.

Some research has shown that BPA can be harmful and lead to many health issues.  As a solution to this problem, some companies released plastic products known as BPA-free. Those products use a wide range of chemical compounds known as BPA substitutes as plasticizers, so they have the same role of BPA in the plastic industry, but they are supposed to be harmless. 

The most common substitutes are bisphenol S and F, normally called by their abbreviation BPS and BPF, respectively. As BPA they can be found in adhesives, water pipes, paper products and other everyday products  such as toothpaste, make up, hair care products, etc.  BPS and BPF also have been found in water, human urine, and sewage effluent. 

As these compounds are subtitles of a chemical of health concert, they  would be expected to be harmless and inert. However, chemical replacements are usually done without testing before going into the market. 

In this case substitutes are very similar in their chemical structure, so they also have similar chemical properties with BPA and with some hormones such as estrogen. The main effects in living beings is as an endocrine alternator, because they can alter hormone cycles. Rochester and their associates showed that these chemicals have  negative effects in vitro and in vivo testes to different species, such as reproductive disruption, induced uterine growth, decreased gonad weight and other effects in the reproductive and endocrine system. 

On the other hand, Sangamitra and others have found that BPS impairs blood functions and induces cardiovascular risk. BPS affects the activity of a group enzyme called erythropoietin, their role is to produce precursors and activate the cell that produces Red Blood Cells (RBC).  BPS inactivates these enzymes, because of that the amount of useful RBC is low and causes different problems such as hypoxia. Additionally, BPS have been found to alter the urea elimination by the kidneys, urea is a waste product and its accumulation in the body can cause heart attack and heart issues.

In conclusion, BPA free products are not an actual solution to any problem or issue caused by BPA itself due their chemical similarity. The most common BPA substitutes are BPF, and BPS have negative impact in health in whatever organism they are present, the effects mentioned in this article were endocrine malfunction, blood alteration and heart risk, but there are more effects reported, even if the studies have been done in species different to humans, they are useful and valid due our similarity to them. In my opinion, this is something we should look at, due mostly to  the effects that these compounds would have in new generations and that  would not only affect us, but also affect other species due leaking of BPS and BPF from plastic stuck in the environment.