Lifestyle and Environment · Environmental Exposures
RRM Academy Synopsis
Bisphenol A may be falling and bisphenol S rising in Atlanta adults
Average urinary bisphenol A fell from 2010 to 2014 while bisphenol S rose slightly in 616 archived urine samples from adult volunteers in Atlanta, collected from 2000 to 2014. A CDC laboratory measured four bisphenols in the samples. The authors say this suggests exposure may be declining for one and rising for the other.
Key Findings
- Bisphenol A was detected in 74% to 99% of samples depending on the year, bisphenol F in 42% to 88%, and bisphenol S in 19% to 74%.
- Fewer than 3% of the samples contained bisphenol AF.
- In these samples, bisphenol A declined significantly from 2010 to 2014 (p <0.001), while bisphenol S showed a slight upward trend over the same years (p = 0.04).
- Bisphenol S turned up in 25% of samples from 2000 and in 74% of samples from 2014.
- Bisphenol F showed no specific trend, and its 95th percentile concentration was comparable or higher than that of bisphenol A in most years, except 2007, 2010, and 2011.
Interpretation
The study is a laboratory survey of stored urine from convenience samples at eight time points. Urine levels reflect recent exposure, most likely within 24 hours. The study reports exposure only, with no health outcomes. The volunteers were anonymous, and no demographic data were available. The authors caution that the suggestive trends describe this one group and may not hold for U.S. adults generally.
RRM Context
Restorative reproductive medicine looks for root causes in both partners, and chemical exposures belong in that search. The paper's introduction notes that the estrogen-like activity of bisphenol S and bisphenol A is reportedly similar. The authors say the health effects of the alternatives remain largely unknown.
Abstract
Because of regulatory actions and public concerns, the use of bisphenol A (BPA) may decrease, while the use of BPA alternatives may increase. Although BPA alternatives are considered safer than BPA, their effects on health are still largely unknown. For risk assessment, understanding exposure to these chemicals is necessary. We measured the urinary concentrations of BPA and three bisphenol analogs, bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol F (BPF), and bisphenol AF (BPAF), in 616 archived samples collected from convenience samplings of U.S. adults at eight time points between 2000 and 2014. We detected BPA at the highest frequency and geometric mean (GM) concentrations (74-99%, 0.36-2.07 μg/L), followed by BPF (42-88%, 0.15-0.54 μg/L) and BPS (19-74%, < 0.1-0.25 μg/L); BPAF was rarely detected (<3% of all samples). Although concentrations of BPF were generally lower than for other bisphenols, the 95th percentile concentration of BPF was often comparable or higher than that of BPA. We did not observe obvious exposure trends for BPF. However, the significant changes in GM concentrations of BPA and BPS suggest that exposures may be declining (BPA) or on the rise (BPS). Nationally representative data will be useful to confirm these findings and to allow monitoring future exposure trends to BPA and some of its bisphenol alternatives.
