BPA-Free Plastics Still Lower Kids' IQ Scores

"BPA-free" products still contain bisphenols. And those bisphenols affect children's IQ. A 2025 cohort study in Environmental Research followed 465 kids from age 4 to age 6 and found exactly that.

What Researchers Found

The study enrolled mother-child pairs from the Shanghai Minhang Birth Cohort. When children were 4 years old, researchers measured urinary concentrations of bisphenol analogs (including BPS and BPF, the common BPA replacements). At age 6, children took the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.

Published in Environmental Research (Su et al., 2025), the results showed an association: higher bisphenol analog exposure at age 4 was linked to lower IQ scores at age 6. The study used Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression to evaluate the joint effect of multiple bisphenols together.

The BPA-Free Lie

When the FDA restricted BPA in baby products, manufacturers switched to BPS and BPF. These compounds have the same basic chemical structure as BPA. They bind to the same hormone receptors. They were never tested in children before being deployed in millions of products.

The label says "BPA-free." It doesn't say "bisphenol-free." That's a meaningful difference. Stainless steel and glass contain zero bisphenols of any type. Browse non-toxic baby products for containers that don't leach into what your child eats or drinks.

Also see glass food storage for safer alternatives.

Source: Su H et al. (2025). Bisphenol analogs exposure in 4-year-old children and their intelligence quotient at 6 years. Environ Res.