I was invited as co-author by the very promising early-career researcher Alessandro Nota from the University of Turin (and Oxford University PgCert in Ecological Survey Techniques graduate) on paper focussing on a topic slightly deviating from my usual papers – I mainly contributed with statistical analyses and advice as well as the usual general manuscript reviewing and editing tasks. The paper, now online published in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, investigated the impacts of bisphenols on humans (in lab assays on the growth of cultured human white blood cells) and on the fecundity and growth of laboratory cultures of the great pond snail (Lymnaea stagnalis). Bisphenol A is a synthetic industrial chemical used since the 1950s to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, commonly found in water bottles etc. However, due to its potential negative impacts on the normal function of hormones, structurally similarly molecules are replacing their use. In the paper, we show these replacement chemicals (Bisphenol E, Bisphenol F and Bisphenol S) are having comparative, or only slightly less, negative impacts than Bisphenol A, although Bisphenol E consistently had the least negative biological impacts on human white blood cells and on the great pond snail.
Nota, A., Hesselberg, T., Pappalardo, A. and Santovita, A. (2026). Comparative genotoxic and developmental effects of bisphenol analogs on human lymphocytes and Lymnaea stagnalis. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 124, 105023. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1382668926001018
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used plasticiser known for endocrine-disrupting and genotoxic properties. Increasing regulatory restrictions have led to its replacement with structurally similar analogues, including bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol E (BPE), whose toxicological profiles remain incompletely understood. This study evaluated the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of BPA and its analogues using the micronucleus assay in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes and in the freshwater gastropod Lymnaea stagnalis. Moreover, physiological endpoints including growth and reproduction were evaluated in the snail. BPA induced the strongest genotoxic and cytotoxic responses, significantly increasing micronucleus frequency and reducing cell proliferation. BPF and BPS showed comparable effects, sometimes even higher for physiological endpoints, while BPE consistently produced the lowest biological impact. Our findings indicate that BPA substitutes are not necessarily safer and highlight the need for further investigation of their long-term and ecological impacts before their widespread adoption.
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