BPA & BPS: why to avoid them and what to use instead
Endocrine disruptors active at low doses; 'BPA-free' products frequently substitute BPS or BPF, which behave similarly.
The short answer
Canned food and thermal receipts are the two exposure sources most worth changing. Treat 'BPA-free' plastic as unverified rather than safe unless the brand names the replacement chemistry.
- Where it hides
- Polycarbonate bottles, canned-food linings, thermal receipts, water pipes
- Cleaner swap
- Glass, stainless steel or unlined ceramic storage; dried or tetra-pak beans instead of tinned; decline paper receipts.
- Also listed as
- Bisphenol-A, Bisphenol-S, Bisphenol-F, polycarbonate, epoxy lining
The label names to scan for
- Bisphenol-A (BPA)
- Bisphenol-S (BPS)
- Bisphenol-F (BPF)
- Polycarbonate (recycling code 7)
- Epoxy can linings
- Thermal receipt paper
What regulators have actually done
The EU banned BPA in baby bottles in 2011 and adopted a broad ban on BPA in food-contact materials in 2024. The US FDA has banned it in baby bottles and infant formula packaging but permits other food-contact uses.
The regrettable-substitution problem
When BPA was phased out of bottles, manufacturers moved to BPS and BPF, structurally near-identical bisphenols with comparable estrogenic activity in laboratory assays and far less safety data. This is the textbook case of regrettable substitution and the reason class-based regulation is gaining ground.
Practical exposure reduction
Never heat food in plastic; buy tomatoes and other acidic foods in glass jars, since acidity increases leaching from can linings; ask for email receipts, because handling thermal paper transfers bisphenol through skin, especially with hand cream on.
BPA & BPS: frequently asked questions
Is BPS safer than BPA?+
Evidence does not support that. BPS shows similar endocrine activity in laboratory studies with a much thinner safety dataset.
Which plastics contain BPA?+
Mainly polycarbonate, often marked with recycling code 7, and epoxy resin can linings. PET (1), HDPE (2), PP (5) and glass are bisphenol-free.