Experts Divided on BPA Plastic Safety, and New Findings About BPA in Thermal Paper Receipts

Our world is teeming with plastic, much of which is composed of bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor that has been shown to alter hormonal balance in animals and humans.

Plastic straw and grocery bag bans barely scratch the surface of the global plastic problem. | Image: John Cameron

2018 was heralded as the year that people caught on about the dangers of plastic. The year saw several plastic bans, with a focus on ridding the world of microbeads, drinking straws, and grocery bags. The dangers of these items were made evident in viral videos that showed animals suffering and once pristine natural locales littered with tangled plastic refuse.

The world’s reliance on plastic runs deeps. Our plastic dependency cannot be solved quickly or easily.

And bans on straws and plastic bags barely scratch the surface of the plastic problem. Our world is positively teeming with plastic, much of which is composed of chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor that has been shown to alter hormonal balance in animals and humans.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are mostly synthetic chemicals that are associated with altered reproductive functions and infertility, increased risk of certain…