So, All Those Plastic BPA-Free Sippy Cups You Spent a Fortune On Might Not Be Safe Either

(iStock / ziggy_mars)

When it comes to purchasing plastic items for your little one, such as sippy cups and pacifiers, we’re all told to watch out for the BPA-Free label. That’s because BPA (or Bisephonol A) is a known endocrine distruptor which has even been linked to cancer and a few years ago the studies came out about how dangerous it is and we all switched our plastics out of panic.

But further research indicates that those BPA-free plastics might not be enough to keep potential carcinogens at bay.

In a recent study, one BPA substitute known as fluorene-9-bisphenol (BHPF) causes anti-oestrogenic effects in mice, which could potentially spell negative side-effects for humans as well. BHPF, which is frequently used in the production of water bottles, is capable of leeching into the water and is thus introduced into the body. The findings, published in Nature Communications earlier this month, reveal that this BPA-alternative causes adverse pregnancy issues in female mice, including miscarriage, still birth, and low birth weight.

While some might sneer at the idea that BHPF would result in similar outcomes in humans, not enough research has been conducted to completely negate our worries. Because of this, one of the study’s main researchers, Hu Jianying, took it upon himself to do a smaller study to test how much BHPF, if any, could be found in humans. His results found that seven percent of subjects tested positive for BHPF. This lead Jianying to conclude that more research needs to be done, and we couldn’t agree more.

Considering how long it might take for researchers to get more conclusive evidence of the safety of BHPF, it might just be a better idea to nix as many of your plastic drinking containers altogether for glass and metal storage. This goes double for expecting mothers.

So, guess we’re all saving up and spending our money on glass and metal cups.

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