Baby Toys and Bottles Are Leaching Bisphenols Past Safety Limits

Researchers tested 162 children's products bought off the Swiss market. They put them in artificial saliva, the way a baby would mouth them. BPA and bisphenol B were the most commonly detected compounds migrating out. In some categories, the daily intake exceeded the European Food Safety Authority's safety threshold for BPA.

Which products were worst

A 2025 study in Chemosphere sorted products into four categories: toys, bath toys, oral supports (pacifiers, teethers), and feeding accessories including baby bottles. The oral supports and feeding accessories had the highest migration rates. That makes sense. These are the items that go directly in a baby's mouth, the ones that stay there longest.

Bisphenol exposure from these products alone pushed some children's estimated daily intake past the EFSA safety limit. And the products tested included items marketed as BPA-free. The ban on BPA doesn't cover its analogues, and this study found those analogues migrating freely.

The BPA-free label isn't the full story

Manufacturers replaced BPA with BPS, BPF, and bisphenol B. These alternatives behave similarly in the body, disrupting estrogen and thyroid hormones. "BPA-free" means one chemical was removed. It doesn't mean the replacement is safe.

Silicone and glass don't have this problem. They don't leach bisphenols because they don't contain them. Glass baby bottles and silicone teethers are the categories where this swap matters most.

Source: Rime C et al. (2025). Chemosphere.