Your BPA-free food containers may still be harming your health

2d • Detox

Plastic food containers leach estrogenic chemicals that could disrupt hormones, contribute to obesity, and harm fertility. Now, a 2025 study published in Toxicological Sciences has disturbingly validated those concerns: the "BPA-free" alternatives used in thermal paper receipts and food packaging may be even more toxic than BPA itself. Researchers at McGill University tested five BPA alternatives (TGSA, D-8, PF-201, DBSP, and the widely used BPS).

They found that several were highly cytotoxic to human cells, dramatically increased lipid droplet accumulation, and disrupted DNA repair pathways. The most concerning finding was that these chemicals are now ubiquitous in our environment, detected in cash receipts, food packaging labels, newspapers, and even toilet paper made from recycled thermal paper, and that they migrate into food products that come into contact with these materials.

Whether a material contains BPA or one of its supposedly safer alternatives, plastic leaches endocrine-disrupting chemicals into your food. The solution remains the same as in 2011: use glass containers for storage, stainless steel for water bottles, and avoid heating food in any type of plastic, regardless of the label claims.

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