Does BPS in BPA-free plastics cause liver damage?

What's actually in it

BPS (bisphenol S) replaced BPA in many "BPA-free" plastics including food containers, water bottles, and thermal receipt paper. It has the same estrogenic activity as BPA. Now research is also linking it to liver toxicity.

Liver fibrosis is scar tissue that forms when the liver repeatedly tries to repair damage. Over time, fibrosis becomes cirrhosis, which is irreversible liver failure. The concern is that millions of people replaced BPA-containing products with BPS-containing ones thinking they made a safer choice.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Toxicol Appl Pharmacol exposed liver cells and animal models to BPS. They found that BPS promotes hepatic fibrosis through macrophage polarization and autophagy disruption. Both mechanisms are known drivers of liver scarring. The effect was significant at doses relevant to human exposure through food contact materials.

"BPA-free" labeling has created a false sense of safety. The replacement chemical has its own liver toxicity that BPA didn't have as clearly documented.

The only container that leaches no bisphenols of any kind: glass food storage. No BPA, no BPS, no liver toxicity from the container itself.