Bisphenol S, a BPA substitute puts fish at a higher risk of brain changes and hypertension, a new study finds.
Many manufacturers have tried going environment and health friendly by substituting bisphenol A (BPA) with another chemical called bisphenol S (BPS). However, a new study found that this BPA substitute is just as dangerous as BPS in causing alternations in the brain and hyperactivity.
"BPS, termed the safe alternative to BPA, may be equally as harmful to developing brains," said the study's senior investigator, Deborah Kurrasch, PhD, from Canada's University of Calgary in a press statement. "Society must place increased pressure on decision makers to remove all bisphenol compounds from manufacturing processes."
For the study, researchers examined how BPA and BPS affects brain development in zebrafish as this fish species is known to have developments similar to that of humans. The only difference is that in zebrafish, the embryo grows externally, facilitating researchers to see the developmental process. A group of zebrafish was exposed to a chemical concentration of BPA found in a local major water source. The researchers then labeled some 5-day-old embryos with molecular markers and looked into how the hypothalamus developed, keeping a record of the number of neurons. She compared this data with that collected from zebrafish embryos that weren't exposed to BPA.
Researchers noted that the number of neurons in BPA-exposed fish rose 170 percent compared with unexposed fish. What surprised researchers was that in a similar study where zebrafish were exposed to BPS, the number of neurons in exposed fish increased 240 percent.
The findings led researchers to confirm that BPS is as dangerous if not more than BPA in altered brain connections. BPA is a chemical commonly found in plastic and epoxy resins. Common exposure to this chemical is through water bottles, cups, compact discs, food cans, cups and impact resistant material. Previous studies have linked BPA to problems with reproductive development, early puberty, obesity and cancers. A study conducted on monkeys in September 2012, found that BPA can lead to birth defects and it shortens reproductive lifespan.
The current study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The findings were presented at the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society in Chicago.
