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US EPA
epa.gov › sciencematters › are-bpa-substitutes-any-safer-bpa
Are BPA Substitutes Any Safer Than BPA? | US EPA
December 17, 2025 - Products containing these substitutes are sometimes marketed as “BPA-Free.” But what is known about the toxicity of these substitutes? An EPA scientist, Chris Corton along with researchers at King’s College London, set out to determine whether six bisphenol A (BPA) alternatives found in the marketplace are any safer than BPA itself.
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Food Packaging Forum
foodpackagingforum.org › home › news articles › alternatives to bpa are mostly not safer, scientists find
Alternatives to BPA are mostly not safer, scientists find | Food Packaging Forum
August 27, 2025 - With the growing awareness of the health concerns of BPA, it has been replaced with other structurally similar bisphenols such as bisphenol S (BPS, CAS 80-09-1), bisphenol F (BPF, CAS 620-92-8), which have a similar functionality and prevent ...
Discussions

New study raises concerns about the safety of BPA-free packaging. Chemicals used to replace bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging can trigger potentially harmful effects in human ovarian cells. Researchers warn that ‘BPA-free’ does not necessarily mean safe.
Perhaps because many alternatives are simply bpa with slight changes, like bps, bpf, etc... More on reddit.com
🌐 r/science
227
1966
August 27, 2025
How concerned should we be about “BPA-free” food and drink containers?
I just want to say that plastics that are "BPA free" use other compounds that do not have as many robust studies as BPA. A common one used is BPS, which some studies may indicate that it may even be worse than BPA, we just don't know yet. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/ScienceBasedParenting
106
145
August 6, 2022
BPA alternatives as bad (or worse) than BPA.
everything leeches. It is just the way it is. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/CampingGear
34
21
April 24, 2016
TIL Plastics that no longer contain BPA now contain BPS or BPF which may be just as bad or worse for your health.
Yeah, it seems to be a common cycle to replace one thing that's bad for you with something that it isn't known whether or not it's bad for you. Stuff in plastic, artificial sweeteners, the list goes on and on (don't ask me for the list, I made that last part up because I can't think of other things right now). More on reddit.com
🌐 r/todayilearned
73
1181
April 1, 2016
People also ask

What Is BPA and Why Did Companies Remove It?
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical used since the 1960s to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It shows up in food containers, water bottles, can linings, receipt paper, and dozens of other everyday products. BPA became a household concern when research confirmed it acts as an endocrine disruptor. It mimics estrogen in your body, binding to estrogen receptors and interfering with hormone signaling. The effects aren't subtle.
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nontoxiclab.com
nontoxiclab.com › home › chemical education › is bpa-free actually safe? (spoiler: not really)
Is BPA-Free Actually Safe? (Spoiler: Not Really) | NonToxicLab
Is BPA-free plastic safe for babies?
Not necessarily. BPA-free baby bottles and sippy cups often contain BPS or BPF, which research shows are similarly disruptive to developing hormones. Glass bottles with silicone sleeves or stainless steel options are safer choices. If you do use plastic, avoid heating it and replace bottles that show wear. See our non-toxic baby bottle guide for specific recommendations.
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nontoxiclab.com
nontoxiclab.com › home › chemical education › is bpa-free actually safe? (spoiler: not really)
Is BPA-Free Actually Safe? (Spoiler: Not Really) | NonToxicLab
Are canned foods BPA-free now?
Many brands have moved away from BPA-based can linings, but the replacements vary. Some use BPS, acrylic, or vinyl-based linings. Brands like Eden Foods, Amy's Kitchen, and Native Forest use BPA-free linings. Fresh and frozen foods avoid the can-lining issue entirely. ---
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nontoxiclab.com
nontoxiclab.com › home › chemical education › is bpa-free actually safe? (spoiler: not really)
Is BPA-Free Actually Safe? (Spoiler: Not Really) | NonToxicLab
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National Geographic
nationalgeographic.com › home › premium › we got rid of bpa in some products—but are the substitutes any safer?
We got rid of BPA in some products—but are the substitutes any safer? | National Geographic
March 5, 2024 - Walking down any aisle in a supermarket, “BPA-free” labels declare food, water bottles, sippy cups, and other products to be clear of bisphenol A (BPA)—a chemical used in plastic and as a liner in food cans. Serious health concerns linked to BPA prompted manufacturers to synthesize dozens of chemical substitutes that are now incorporated into thousands of products.
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Phys.org
phys.org › news › 2024-11-safe-bpa-alternatives-pose-health.html
Study finds 'safe' BPA alternatives may still pose health risks
November 18, 2024 - Bisphenol A (BPA), the main bisphenol, exhibits many unwanted effects. BPA has, currently, been replaced with bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) in many applications in the hope that these molecules have a lesser effect on metabolism than BPA.
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Green Choice Lifestyle
greenchoicelifestyle.com › home › the latest: › why bpa-free plastic isn’t safe (+ what to use instead)
Why BPA-Free Plastic Isn’t Safe (+ What to Use Instead)
May 27, 2025 - In many cases, it just means BPA was swapped for something equally concerning, like BPS or BPF. When the pressure to remove BPA (Bisphenol A) hit hard in the early 2000s, thanks to growing evidence linking it to hormone disruption, infertility, ...
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Eco Lunch Boxes
ecolunchboxes.com › blogs › news › are-bpa-alternatives-really-safe
Are BPA Alternatives Really Safe?
As consumers have demanded BPA be removed from their products, companies have replaced it with similar chemicals such as Bisphenol-S and Bisphenol-F. Even though these specific chemicals haven’t been as widely studied as BPA, the research ...
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Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
hsph.harvard.edu › home › harmful chemicals removed from products often replaced with something as bad or worse
Harmful chemicals removed from products often replaced with something as bad or worse | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
November 22, 2024 - Chan School of Public Health. In an opinion piece published December 15, 2016 in The Washington Post, he wrote that BPA may simply have been swapped for BPS, or bisphenol-S, a similar chemical thought to be even more harmful to children’s health.
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Toxic Free Choice
toxicfreechoice.com › home › blog › the truth about bpa, bps & “bpa-free” plastics: what you’re not being told
The Truth About BPA, BPS & “BPA-Free” Plastics: What You’re Not Being Told - Toxic Free Choice
June 29, 2026 - When regulators started banning BPA, the plastics industry didn’t switch to safer options. They exploited a loophole. They rolled out chemical cousins like BPS and BPF, slapped on a “BPA-free” label, and kept selling the same risk—just rebranded. 👉 The kicker? These “alternatives” were tested even less than BPA.
Find elsewhere
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NonToxicLab
nontoxiclab.com › home › chemical education › is bpa-free actually safe? (spoiler: not really)
Is BPA-Free Actually Safe? (Spoiler: Not Really) | NonToxicLab
December 28, 2025 - Many brands have moved away from BPA-based can linings, but the replacements vary. Some use BPS, acrylic, or vinyl-based linings. Brands like Eden Foods, Amy’s Kitchen, and Native Forest use BPA-free linings.
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The Conversation
theconversation.com › bps-a-popular-substitute-for-bpa-in-consumer-products-may-not-be-safer-54211
BPS, a popular substitute for BPA in consumer products, may not be safer
October 3, 2025 - Manufacturers have removed the industrial chemical BPA from many products over concerns that it mimics hormones in the body. Now studies show that BPS, a popular substitute, has similar effects.
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Science
science.org › content › article › bpa-substitutes-may-be-just-bad-popular-consumer-plastic
BPA substitutes may be just as bad as the popular consumer plastic | Science | AAAS
September 13, 2018 - Over the past decade, concerns ... use of the common plastic in many household items. In its place, they've turned to more than 50 "BPA-free" alternatives....
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Earth.com
earth.com › home › news › lifestyle news
Was BPA replaced with something just as bad? - Earth.com
October 16, 2020 - Products from baby bottles to canned soup proudly proclaim that they are BPA-free. This came as a response to mounting evidence that BPA (bisphenol A) mimics human estrogen, causing developmental damage to the brain and reproductive tissues.
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Undark Magazine
undark.org › home › news & features › the pros and cons of ‘bpa-free’
'BPA-free' Products Abound, but Are the Alternatives Any Better?
September 30, 2019 - While food and beverage industry heavyweights like General Mills, Campbell’s, and Del Monte don’t acknowledge that BPA may be unsafe, they have responded to consumer demand and are gradually shifting to BPA-free lined cans and products.
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Modofo
modofo.net › blogs › modofo-global › bpa-free-vs-bps-bpf-what-replaced-bpa-and-is-it-better-modofo
BPA Free vs BPS / BPF: What Replaced BPA and Is It Better?
January 12, 2026 - Instead, it entered what could best be described as the post-BPA era: a period defined by material substitution, regulatory recalibration, and engineering compromise. This article does not aim to decide whether one material is “safe” or “unsafe.” Instead, it focuses on a different and often overlooked question: what actually replaced BPA, why those replacements were chosen, and whether “better” is the right way to frame the comparison at all.
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National Geographic
nationalgeographic.com › home › science › why 'bpa free' may not mean a plastic product is safe
Is BPA-Free Plastic Safe? Get the Facts. | National Geographic
July 15, 2022 - “The good news is, if you can ... Hunt. The latest study found that if the researchers stopped dosing the mice with BPA alternatives, the males returned to normal in just four generations....
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The Filtery
thefiltery.com › home › does “bpa-free” really mean “safe”?
Does "BPA-Free" Really Mean "Safe"? - The Filtery
March 5, 2026 - In fact, early research is showing that some BPA alternatives may be even worse than BPA! These are what we call “regrettable substitutions,” (And unfortunately, it happens all of the time in the world of synthetic chemicals.
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Gooddefault
gooddefault.com › p › the-truth-about-bpa-free-plastics
The Truth About BPA-Free Plastics (and What to Use Instead) | Good Default
June 25, 2026 - After years of public pressure, BPA started disappearing from labels. But manufacturers didn’t remove it. They just replaced it.
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EurekAlert!
eurekalert.org › news-releases › 1065261
Study finds 'safe' BPA alternatives pose health risks | EurekAlert!
Bisphenol A (BPA), the main bisphenol, exhibits many unwanted effects. BPA has, currently, been replaced with bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS) in many applications in the hope that these molecules have a lesser effect on metabolism than BPA.