Bisphenols as a Legacy Pollutant, and Their Effects on Organ Vulnerability

Jong-Joo Kim, Surendra Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Yun-Mi Lee, You-Sam Kim and Vijay Kumar
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Jong-Joo Kim: Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38541, Korea
Surendra Kumar: Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India
Yun-Mi Lee: Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38541, Korea
You-Sam Kim: Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38541, Korea
Vijay Kumar: Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38541, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Bisphenols are widely used in the synthesis of polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins, and thermal paper, which are used in manufacturing items of daily use. Packaged foods and drinks are the main sources of exposure to bisphenols. These chemicals affect humans and animals by disrupting the estrogen, androgen, progesterone, thyroid, and aryl hydrocarbon receptor functions. Bisphenols exert numerous harmful effects because of their interaction with receptors, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cell signal alterations. Both cohort and case-control studies have determined an association between bisphenol exposure and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, reproductive abnormalities, obesity, and diabetes. Prenatal exposure to bisphenols results in developmental disorders in animals. These chemicals also affect the immune cells and play a significant role in initiating the inflammatory response. Exposure to bisphenols exhibit age, gender, and dose-dependent effects. Even at low concentrations, bisphenols exert toxicity, and hence deserve a critical assessment of their uses. Since bisphenols have a global influence on human health, the need to discover the underlying pathways involved in all disease conditions is essential. Furthermore, it is important to promote the use of alternatives for bisphenols, thereby restricting their uses.

Keywords: bisphenols; endocrine disruptors; obesity and diabetes mellitus; hepatic toxicity; neurotoxicity; immunotoxicity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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