Can a father's BPA and BPS exposure harm his son's testicular development?

What's actually in it

BPA and its replacement BPS are found in food cans, plastic food containers, receipt paper, and many common household items. Men absorb these chemicals daily through food contact, skin absorption from receipts, and dust ingestion. These chemicals accumulate in reproductive tissue.

Most research on BPA has focused on maternal exposure and fetal effects. But fathers contribute half the genetic material, and sperm carry epigenetic marks (chemical tags on DNA) that can be altered by environmental exposures. When these marks are disrupted, the changes can affect offspring development even if the fetus is never directly exposed to BPA itself.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environ Pollut exposed male animals to BPA and BPS before mating, then tracked the male offspring. Sons of BPA-exposed fathers showed reduced testicular weight, lower testosterone, higher oxidative stress in testicular cells, and increased cell death in the tissue responsible for sperm and hormone production.

The mechanism involves the OCTN2 carnitine transporter, which moves carnitine (an essential molecule for sperm energy production) into testicular cells. BPA and BPS disrupt this transporter, starving the cells of the fuel they need. Combined with elevated oxidative stress, this damages the cells that the next generation's reproductive system needs to function normally.

BPS caused effects comparable to BPA in this study, consistent with the growing evidence that BPA-free products using BPS don't solve the reproductive safety problem.

For men planning to have children, reducing BPA and BPS exposure in the months before conception appears meaningful. The primary sources to reduce are canned food, plastic food containers heated in the microwave, and handling receipts regularly.