Can BPA and heavy metals cause chromosome problems during pregnancy?

What's actually in it

Bisphenols (BPA, BPS, BPF) from plastic food containers and canned food liners, and heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium) from contaminated food and water, are two chemical groups that nearly everyone is exposed to daily. Both types are endocrine disruptors that interfere with the hormones controlling cell division.

During early pregnancy, the embryo undergoes rapid cell division. Any error in how chromosomes are sorted during this process can lead to serious problems.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environ Int examined women undergoing IVF treatment and measured their blood levels of bisphenols and metals. The researchers then checked the embryos for numerical chromosome abnormalities (aneuploidy), a condition where cells have too many or too few chromosomes.

Women with higher combined exposure to BPA and lead had a greater proportion of aneuploid embryos. Chromosome errors like trisomy (an extra copy of a chromosome) were more common in embryos from these women.

The chemicals appear to damage the meiotic spindle, the structure inside egg cells that pulls chromosomes apart during cell division. When the spindle malfunctions, chromosomes end up in the wrong place, producing an embryo with the wrong number.

Most aneuploid embryos fail to implant or miscarry early. Some, like trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), can result in live births with developmental challenges.

Reducing bisphenol and metal exposure before and during fertility treatment may improve embryo quality. Use glass containers for food, filter your water, and vary your diet to limit metal buildup from any single food source.