In March, I participated in the annual national conference on hormone-disrupting chemicals held by the Danish Centre for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. One of the things I took home was that researchers are detecting bisphenols in the majority of urine samples from Danish families.
Bisphenols are a group of industrial chemicals widely used in the manufacture of everyday consumer products such as plastic tableware, food cans, sports equipment, leather footwear and clothing. There is growing concern that some bisphenols can damage fertility and disrupt the hormonal systems of both people and animals. For example, the EU has identified Bisphenol A (BPA), the best-known member of the bisphenol family, as a ‘Substance of Very High Concern’, but other bisphenols are believed to present at least the same level of concern, according to the EU Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
Children are widely exposed to bisphenols
What stuck with me in particular is that bisphenols are detected in Danish children in the same, and often even higher, amounts than in their parents. Children are much more vulnerable to chemicals than adults, and the widespread exposure of infants and even unborn children to BPA and other bisphenols is therefore a cause of real concern.
For years, the EU has sought to protect children against BPA, first by banning it in baby-feeding bottles followed by restrictions on BPA in tableware meant for children and in toys. Encouragingly, the researchers did show that BPA exposure among Danish children has decreased between 2009 and 2017. Yet, at same time, exposure to other bisphenols is increasing. Clearly, existing safeguards are not enough to protect children against these problematic chemicals.
But where do the bisphenols detected in children come from?
I did not have to search long to find an answer.
New consumer study: 60% of 121 tested children’s products contain bisphenols
Together with consumer groups across Europe [1] [2], I recently investigated the presence of bisphenols in 121 children’s products such as baby textiles and leather shoes, teething toys, drinking bottles, and children’s sunglasses. We also looked for bisphenols in 58 soda and food cans. The tested products were bought online and in shops in seven different European countries. What we found was troubling.
Infants use their mouths to explore the world. Our test however showed that teething toys, drinking bottles or sippy-cups can expose children to bisphenols when they put these products in their mouths. This included bisphenols of high concern which we found in half the tested products.
Children also come in close contact with their clothes, blankets, and baby shoes. Here we found many bisphenols in the 69 products we tested, including some that contained high amounts of BPA and its toxic cousins, bisphenol S and F.
Overall, we found that more than 60% of the tested children’s products contained or released at least one, but in many cases two or more, bisphenols. And all the tested soda and food cans contained at least low levels of bisphenols in the inside can lining. BPA was still the most prevalent bisphenol, but we also frequently found bisphenol F or S.
Do the bisphenols in these products pose a risk to children?
EU authority lowers safe BPA levels tremendously
The amount of bisphenols found in each of the tested products was relatively low for the most part. But low-level exposure to BPA is a health concern for consumers across all age groups, according to the EU Food Safety Authority, EFSA.
In fact, in April 2023, EFSA concluded that the safe exposure limit is 20,000 times lower than what was previously thought safe. EFSA also estimates that today the average consumer’s dietary intake of BPA vastly exceeds the new, much lower limit. And this is even without considering other sources of BPA exposure – such as consumer products – or the combined exposure to BPA and other bisphenols.
From this new scientific vantage point, the widespread presence of bisphenols in the tested children’s products and food cans is disturbing.
Time for phasing-out bisphenols
To protect the health of children and their parents, we need to stop the widespread use of not only BPA but other bisphenols as well. Doing so in toys and children’s products is a priority, as is urgently phasing out these harmful chemicals from all products widely used by consumers, such as food containers and textiles.
The good news is that Germany has already proposed an EU-wide restriction on BPA and four other bisphenols. This is an important step. But it is also not sufficient to protect children’s health, as ECHA has recommended that the EU restricts an additional 25 bisphenols – including for example BPB and BPC which we also found in our test.
So, we urgently need stronger legal safeguards to protect children and their parents against bisphenol exposure. That way I can, hopefully one day soon, join a scientific conference where it is shown that bisphenols are no longer detected in children.
[1] This was a joint project by consumer organisations from Austria (Verein für Konsumenteninformation), Belgium (Testaankoop/Testachats), Czechia (dTest), Denmark (Forbrugerrådet Tænk), France (UFC-Que Choisir), Italy (Altroconsumo), and Slovenia (Zveza Potrošnikov Slovenije – ZPS). The test was coordinated by International Consumer Research & Testing – ICRT.
[2] An English-language summary of the research is available.