In an article published on October 21, 2015 the non-profit organization International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) reports on the issue of replacing a chemical of concern (COC) with an alternative exhibiting similar hazardous properties. Such is the case for endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) bisphenol A (BPA, CAS 80-05-7) and one of its substitutions, bisphenol S (BPS, CAS 80-09-1). Therefore, products labeled as ‘BPA-free’ can create a false sense of security among consumers trying to reduce EDC exposure, ChemSec writes. According to Andrea C. Gore, chair of the Endocrine Society task force that developed the Society’s second scientific statement on EDCs (FPF reported), the only way to avoid this is to “implement a precautionary approach and test COCs before they are released on the market.” ChemSec has developed a tool called SINimilarity that compares the structural resemblance of a chemical to that of chemicals on the organization’s SIN List. “A structural similarity is an indication of similar hazardous properties,” ChemSec writes.
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ChemSec (October 21, 2015). “’BPA-free product labels may give customers false sense of security’.”
ChemSec (September 28, 2015). “Free of charge chemistry tool empowers non-chemists.“
