Shop receipts may explain majority of BPA detected in people

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor that often ends up in people. Scientists had assumed dietary exposure was the main source, as BPA is used in the production of plastics and resins used to package food. However, new work suggests dermal exposure could explain the majority of human exposure.¹ ‘If diet [were] the dominant source, we should find lower BPA in individuals who have been fasting,’ explains Jonathan Martin, an analytical chemist at Stockholm University and lead author on the new work. ‘But a large study in the US² has shown this is not the case,’ he adds.