Pollution from China’s manufacturing industry is endangering seafood consumers in northeastern Jiangsu province, according to a new report.
Titled “Pollution profiles and human health risk assessment of BPA analogues in seafood from a Chinese coastal city,” the report, written by a group of researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, focused on determining the presence of bisphenol analogues (BPs) – a group of organic compounds used in the production of plastics, coatings, and resins – in seafood sold at seafood markets in the northeastern Chinese city of Lianyungang, which has a large manufacturing sector.
The report found that traces of these chemical compounds in seafood samples were significant enough to endanger the health of the markets’ customers.
“Shellfish exhibited the highest levels of these compounds … [but] marine fish were the primary source of exposure, contributing to 44 percent of total BP intake,” the report said.
Bisphenol A (BPA), a principal component in epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics, is commonly featured in plastic utensils and other household items. Various governments around the world, including Canada, the E.U., the U.S., and China itself, have classified it as harmful to human health and limited its use in bottles and other items that come into close contact with young children.
“Both in vitro and in vivo research has classified BPA as an endocrine disrupting chemical and persistent organic pollutant with reproductive, developmental, and systemic toxicity,” the report said. “It has been implicated in a range of health issues in both animals and humans, including but not limited to cancer, infertility, heart disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.”
Therefore, research soon began to find alternatives to BPAs, leading to the creation of BPs, which are similar in structure. However, more recent research has found these replacement compounds to be as detrimental, or even worse, to the ones they sought to replace, the report said.
According to the research, BPs accumulate heavily in aquatic organisms like fish, yet few studies have attempted to determine how this affects seafood consumers.
“There remains a notable deficiency in data concerning the distribution, partitioning, and evaluation of environmental risks of other BPs in real-world settings. Consequently, it becomes crucial to closely monitor the presence of BPs in aquatic ecosystems to ensure effective environmental regulation and stewardship,” the report said. “Despite numerous studies addressing BPs in various food matrices, there remains a lack of focused research on their prevalence in seafood, particularly in coastal regions where seafood consumption is high. This study aims to fill the research gap.”
