Concerns that bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastic water bottles, may have an unforeseen impact on people's reproductive system have led to it being increasingly phased out.
But another chemical meant to replace BPA may be just as harmful, according to new research conducted by a Chinese team from Peking University and published this week in the science journal Nature Communications.
Professor Hu Jianying and her colleagues conducted experiments on mice and found that bisphenol fluorene (BHPF) had an estrogen-blocking effect, which led to smaller wombs and smaller pups, and in some cases also led to miscarriages.
Their study also showed that BHPF existed widely in commercial water bottles, including baby bottles, and could enter into drinking water in the bottles.
At present, the experiment was conducted only in mice and there was no evidence that BHPF had negative effects on human.
But Hu and her team have urged the relevant authorities to further assess the safety of BHPF and seek other chemicals used as BPA alternatives. (CGTN)
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