Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) that has been associated with various human disorders. Human exposure is ubiquitous. The primary route of exposure is ingestion, as BPA can leach from plastic food packaging and the epoxy resin lining of cans into food. Restrictions on the use of BPA in consumer products due to its health concerns have resulted in the development and introduction of new BPA alternatives. These compounds are likely to have health effects comparable to those of BPA. However, data on the type and amount of substitutes used in consumer products are difficult to obtain, and studies on their prevalence of use and impact on health in human populations are sparse. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the urinary concentrations of BPA and its analogues after the consumption of soda from cans compared to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and glass bottles. Additionally, we investigated blood pressure levels before and after soda consumption from cans, PET bottles, and glass bottles. We conducted a randomized crossover trial with 103 female participants between 30 and 65 years of age. The participants were assigned to drink soda (Coca-Cola light) from cans, PET bottles and glass bottles on two days of an intervention week. Urine samples were collected two to three hours after the intervention. Blood pressure levels were measured before and two to three hours after the intervention. Urinary bisphenol concentrations were measured via GC-AEI-MS/MS. The associations between the intervention and log10-transformed bisphenol concentrations and blood pressure levels were evaluated via a mixed models approach. For comparisons of the interventions, we used Tukey tests. We found significantly higher BPA concentrations in the urine samples of our study participants after soda consumption from cans than after soda consumption from PET bottles (+ 22.3%, 95% CI 3.37;44.64, P value 0.014). There was no difference compared to glass bottles. In addition to BPA, we detected BPF, BPS and BPE in some of the urine samples, but to a lesser extent, and independent of beverage packaging. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased across all interventions independent of whether soda was consumed from cans, PET bottles, or glass bottles. This study suggests that canned soda may increase the amount of BPA excreted in the urine of humans. The increase in blood pressure, independent of beverage packaging, may be due to the caffeine content of the consumed beverage. Given the potential of bisphenol exposure from canned food and beverage consumption, as well as the availability of alternatives in the epoxy resin lining of cans, complete removal of BPA from cans is an attractive option for mitigating human exposure to bisphenols.Universal Trial Number/ DRKS-ID: U1111-1244-7033/ DRKS00019922 (Registration Date 29/11/2019).