Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Chemistry & Biology have developed new tests that can classify potential alternatives to bisphenol A (BPA) with great detail and speed. The advance could offer a fast and cost-effective way to identify safe replacements for BPA.

Numerous studies have linked exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic, receipt paper, toys, and other products with various health problems from poor growth to cancer, and the FDA has been supporting efforts to find and use alternatives. BPA and BPA analogs belong to a class of compounds called endocrine disruptors, so named because they can interfere with the body’s endocrine, or hormonal, system.

Using newly developed assays on living cells, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine characterized how 18 different BPA analogs affect alpha and beta estrogen receptors, which are the primary targets of this class of chemicals. Their studies were conducted using high throughput microscopy and automated image analysis in different cell line models, with varying exposures to BPA analogs.