Can bisphenol exposure in young children affect intelligence?

What's actually in it

Bisphenols, including BPA, BPF, and BPS, are in plastic food containers, can linings, and thermal receipts. Children aged 2-6 have higher relative exposure than adults because they consume more food per kilogram of body weight and put their hands in their mouths more frequently. The developing brain at this age is in a sensitive window for hormonal influences on cognition.

Bisphenols disrupt thyroid hormones and sex hormones, both of which are critical for normal brain development and cognitive function.

What the research says

A 2025 study in Environ Res measured bisphenol analog exposure in 4-year-old children and tested their IQ. Children with higher urinary bisphenol levels had lower IQ scores. The association was present for both BPA and its alternatives including BPF and BPS. The IQ differences were small individually but meaningful at a population level.

IQ is not the only measure of cognitive harm from endocrine disruption, but it's one that parents understand and that has lifetime consequences for educational achievement and earnings.

Remove all plastic food and drink containers from your child's environment. Glass baby products for bottles and food storage eliminate bisphenol exposure from the most direct route.