@misc{9234978,
  abstract     = {{Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical restricted by EU legislation. Consequently, the industry has transitioned to structurally similar substitutes, primarily bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF). This study aimed to investigate temporal trends in population exposure to BPA, BPS and BPF among adolescents in Skåne, Sweden, between 2000 and 2022 through measured urinary concentrations of bisphenols. The study further aimed to evaluate the measured concentrations in relation to Human Biomonitoring Guidance Values (HBM-GV) to examine the concept of regrettable substitution.
The study used cross-sectional human biomonitoring data, statistically modelling specific gravity-adjusted bisphenol concentrations in urine samples collected from adolescents at six time points (n ≈ 1200). Time trends were evaluated using linear regression. Exposure levels were compared to different guidance values, including the older 2015 HBM-GV and the drastically lowered, estimated guidance value based on the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) 2023 risk assessment for BPA.
BPA concentrations showed a significant decline over the study period (−8% per year). However, this decrease occurred alongside a significantly increasing trend of the substitute BPS (+10% per year), while BPF levels remained stable. By 2022, 100% of the sampled individuals exceeded the updated HBM-GV 2023 established for BPA. Notably, this universal exceedance applied not only to BPA itself but also to both substitute chemicals. Although legislation has successfully reduced BPA exposure, the results confirm a clear case of regrettable substitution. Given that BPS and BPF are known to have similar harmful and endocrine-disrupting properties as BPA, along with the fact that exposure to these substitutes now universally exceeds the safety limits designed for BPA, indicates that the public health risk has not been eliminated, but shifted. These findings highlight a need to regulate bisphenols collectively as a group.}},
  author       = {{Granditsky, Perla}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Substitution utan riskreduktion? Bisfenolexponering hos ungdomar i Skåne och fenomenet regrettable substitution}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}