Research progress on environmental distributions and toxic effects of bisphenol A and its analogues

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a recognized environmental endocrine disruptor with estrogenic-like effects. It is widely used in industry to synthesize materials such as polycarbonate and epoxy resin. Because a large number of studies have confirmed the biological toxicity of BPA, the production and use of BPA are strictly restricted. Therefore, some substitutes of BPA, such as bisphenol F, bisphenol S, and bisphenol AF, have been gradually developed and widely used in various consumer products. With the large-scale production and use, BPA and its analogues can be detected in almost all environmental media and some human biological samples. Therefore, it is urgent to study whether these new substitutes are safe or not. In recent years, with the development of relevant research, BPA analogues have been proved to have a variety of toxic effects on organisms. This paper summarized the environmental pollution of and human exposure to BPA and its analogues at home and abroad. Their biological toxic effects were reviewed as well, including acute toxicity, endocrine interference effect, neurotoxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, cardiovascular toxicity, cytotoxicity, and genotoxocity. Future research perspects of BPA analogues were discussed.