--- title: BPA and Other Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals May Be Even More Common in Plastics Than First Thought description: Plastics. They seem so...inert. Slow to erode or decay, with a biodegradation time measured in the hundreds of years, plastics appear cut off from the... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7142291/study-even-bpa-free-plastics-leach-endrocrine-disrupting-chemicals/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2011-03-08T15:03:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T11:11:11.729Z article:section: Health og:title: BPA and Other Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals May Be Even More Common in Plastics Than First Thought og:description: Plastics. They seem so...inert. Slow to erode or decay, with a biodegradation time measured in the hundreds of years, plastics appear cut off from the... og:url: https://time.com/archive/7142291/study-even-bpa-free-plastics-leach-endrocrine-disrupting-chemicals/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94fb886d838885db/698a94c6cabb1deff6e5a796/bpacropped.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Recent Studies State Chemical In Plastic Liquid Containers Contain Tox og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: BPA and Other Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals May Be Even More Common in Plastics Than First Thought twitter:description: Plastics. They seem so...inert. Slow to erode or decay, with a biodegradation time measured in the hundreds of years, plastics appear cut off from the... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt94fb886d838885db/698a94c6cabb1deff6e5a796/bpacropped.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) # Study: Even "BPA-Free" Plastics Leach Endrocrine-Disrupting Chemicals by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) Mar 8, 2011 3:03 PM CUT  ARCADIA, CA - APRIL 16: Camelback brand water bottles that are free of the controversial carbonate plastic bisphenol-a (BPA), one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in industry, hang on display at an outdoor supply store on April 16, 2008 in Arcadia, California. National Institutes of Health?s National Toxicology Program has concluded that the estrogen-like chemical in the plastic, which is also used in many baby products, beverage and food containers, and as linings in food cans, could be harmful to the development of children's brains and reproductive organs, and Canada is reportedly about to declare health finding against BPA. Some makers of such bottles have recognized the concern, including Nalgene and Camelback, have begun producing BPA-free alternative containers. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) ARCADIA, CA - APRIL 16: Camelback brand water bottles that are free of the controversial carbonate plastic bisphenol-a (BPA), one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals in industry, hang on display at an outdoor supply store on April 16, 2008 in Arcadia, California. National Institutes of Health?s National Toxicology Program has concluded that the estrogen-like chemical in the plastic, which is also used in many baby products, beverage and food containers, and as linings in food cans, could be harmful to the development of children's brains and reproductive organs, and Canada is reportedly about to declare health finding against BPA. Some makers of such bottles have recognized the concern, including Nalgene and Camelback, have begun producing BPA-free alternative containers. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)Getty Images—2008 Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) Mar 8, 2011 3:03 PM CUT Plastics. They seem so…inert. Slow to erode or decay, with a biodegradation time measured in the hundreds of years, plastics appear cut off from the organic environment in the way that no other product is, safe and secure and sterile. moreYet scientists have begun to learn that plastics are anything but impermeable. Plastic containers and linings — especially those used in food containers that might end up being heated or washed — [often leach chemicals](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=plastic-not-fantastic-with-bisphenol-a "undefined") into the surrounding environment. And some of those chemicals like [bisphenol-A](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1989138,00.html "undefined") (BPA) and [phthalates](http://www.ewg.org/chemindex/term/480 "undefined") may do strange things to the body, mimicking and disrupting hormones in ways that haven’t yet been fully understood. While the science over such “endocrine-disrupting” chemicals is still far from certain, enough researchers have raised worries that some parents have begun [avoiding some plastics](http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/stop-toxic-toys/recommendations-for-parents "undefined") in an effort to shield children from toxins. (Pregnant women and infant children seem especially vulnerable to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.) Manufacturers have even begun advertising some products as “[BPA-free](http://www.thermos.com/bpa.aspx "undefined").” (**More on Time.com:** [Pregnant Women Awash in Chemicals. Is That Bad for Baby?](http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/14/pregnant-women-awash-in-chemicals-is-that-bad-for-baby/ "undefined")) Beijing might have the [right idea](http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/sjanssen/china%5Fbans%5Fbpa%5Fleaving%5Fus%5Fbehi.html "undefined"), because it may turn out that endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA are even more common than we imagined. In [a new study](http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1003220#Supplemental%20Material "undefined") for the journal _Environmental Health Perspectives_, researchers found that most plastic products leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals — and that was true even for products labeled “BPA-free.” Scientists led by George Bittner, a neurobiologist at the University of Texas, [looked at 455 common plastic products](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/03/bpa-free-plastic-products-estrogen/1 "undefined") and found that 70% tested positive for estrogenic activity. Once those products were subject to real-world conditions — microwaving or dishwashing — that proportion rose to 95%. As the study concluded: --- > “” --- BPA is particularly worrisome simply because it is so common. [Nearly every American](http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/how-to-avoid-bpa-exposure-from-cash-register-receipts.html "undefined") has some amount of BPA in his or her body, in part because plastics are so ubiquitous. (And the U.S. seems to be especially contaminated — [a recent study](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/03/us-bpa-twice-canadas-level/1 "undefined") found that Americans have twice as much BPA in their bodies as Canadians.) The Food and Drug Administration [expressed](http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm064437.htm "undefined") “some concerns” last year about the potential impact of BPA on the brains of fetuses, infants and children — but no federal agency has yet said that BPA or any other potentially endocrine-disrupting chemicals are unsafe. (**More on Time.com:** [Study: BPA Exposure May Reduce Chances of IVF](http://healthland.time.com/2010/12/17/study-bpa-exposure-may-reduce-chances-of-ivf/ "undefined")) Washington may be reluctant to act, but other authorities are moving forward. [Cities and states](http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2010/02/bans-sought-for-chemical-bpa-in-baby-toddler-products/1?loc=interstitialskip "undefined") including Connecticut and Minnesota are working to restrict BPA in baby products, while even China — not exactly a country on the forefront of environmental protection — [is reportedly planning to ban BPA](http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/sjanssen/china%5Fbans%5Fbpa%5Fleaving%5Fus%5Fbehi.html "undefined") in children’s products. Even some corporations are moving faster than federal regulators on chemical safety — [Wal-Mart announced](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/25/AR2011022502977.html "undefined") last month that it had banned the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), a class of flame retardants [that has been linked](http://www.ewg.org/healthyhometips/fireretardants "undefined") to a number of health problems. Just because some big companies are moving ahead on chemical safety doesn’t mean that industry as a whole is ready to be a leader — a spokesman for the American Council on Science and Health, an industry-funded lobbying group a watchdog with a [history of skepticism](http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1998Q4/ashes.html "undefined") towards chemical safety, [criticized Wal-Mart](http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.2400/news%5Fdetail.asp "undefined") for giving into environmentalists. In any case, there should be no doubt that our chemical regulations lag far behind the science — the Toxic Substances Control Act, the decades-old law that governs chemical safety, [doesn’t give the government](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chemicalspolicy.org%2Fdownloads%2FChemicals%5FPolicy%5FTSCA.doc&ei=xUR2TbfhIdSP0QGWs4XZBg&usg=AFQjCNF6J8eV3cWxG81OSP3TQGh-DM9ryg&sig2=8XtzENCAIibWwTcU2X7bqA "undefined") sufficient enforcement powers. Industry likes to talk about promoting “[science-based](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CDQQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.actagroup.com%2Fother%5Fpdfs%2F00070487.PDF&ei=50R2TfWZO6KW0QH0sYnUBg&usg=AFQjCNHshmUl1KOJg3g%5FrfgaAZYV8F236w&sig2=0H%5Ft-r54DN33S5r0iGp0cg "undefined")” regulation. Based on the conclusions of studies like this one, I couldn’t agree more. **Related Links:** [The Perils of Plastic](http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1976909%5F1976908%5F1976938,00.html "undefined") [5 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to Cell Phone Radiation](http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/23/5-easy-ways-to-reduce-your-cell-phone-exposure/ "undefined") [Why Laptop Computing Might Not Be Great for Fertility](http://healthland.time.com/2010/11/09/why-laptop-computing-might-not-be-great-for-fertility/ "undefined") [Cancer, Cancer Everywhere: Is Your Environment as Toxic as a New Report Suggests?](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1989138,00.html "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7142291/study-even-bpa-free-plastics-leach-endrocrine-disrupting-chemicals/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7142291/study-even-bpa-free-plastics-leach-endrocrine-disrupting-chemicals/"},"headline":"Study: Even \"BPA-Free\" Plastics Leach Endrocrine-Disrupting Chemicals","datePublished":"2011-03-08T15:03:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T11:11:11.729Z","description":"Plastics. 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