Bisphenol A Bisphenol A General Systematic name 4 , 4'-dihydroxy-2 , 2-diphenylpropane Other names BPA , 4 , 4'- ( propan-2-ylidene ) diphenol , p , p'-isopropylidenebisphenol Molecular formula C 15 H 16 O 2 Molar mass 228.29 g/mol SMILES CC ( c2ccc ( O ) cc2 ) ( C ) c1ccc ( O ) cc1 Appearance free-flowing prills CAS number [ 80-05-7 ] Properties Density and phase 1.20 g/cm 3 , solid Solubility in water   ? g/100 ml ( ? °C ) Melting point 157 °C ( 430 K ) Boiling point 220 °C ( 493 K ) Viscosity   ? c P at  ? °C Structure Molecular shape   ? Crystal structure   ? Dipole moment   ? D Hazards MSDS External MSDS Main hazards   ? Flash point 207 °C , autoignition : 600 °C R/S statement R : 36 , 37 , 38 , 43 S : 24 , 26 , 37 RTECS number   ? Supplementary data page Structure & properties n , ε r , etc . Thermodynamic data Phase behaviour Solid , liquid , gas Spectral data UV , IR , NMR , MS Related compounds Related ?   ? Related compounds phenols Except where noted otherwise , data are given for materials in their standard state ( at 25°C , 100 kPa ) Infobox disclaimer and references Bisphenol A is a chemical compound with two phenol functional groups in its molecule that belongs to the phenol class of aromatic organic compounds . It is prepared by reaction of two equivalents of phenol with one equivalent of acetone . History and use Bisphenol A was first synthesized by Dianin in 1891 [ 1 ] , [ 2 ] . Bisphenol A was investigated in the 1930s during the search for synthetic estrogens . At that time , another synthesized compound , diethylstilbestrol , turned out to be more powerful an estrogen , so bisphenol A was not used as a synthetic estrogen . Its current main uses are as a monomer in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and in the manufacture of epoxy resins . Bisphenol A is also used as an antioxidant in plasticizers and as a polymerization inhibitor in PVC . Polycarbonates are widely used in many consumer products , from sunglasses and CDs to water and food containers and shatter-resistant baby bottles . Some polymers used in dental fillings also contain bisphenol A , while epoxy resins containing bisphenol A are popular coatings for the inside of cans used for canning food . Possible health risks BPA has been known to leach from plastics which are cleaned with harsh detergents or used to contain acidic or high temperature liquids . The chemical is found in most people who live in developed countries at very low concentrations . BPA can activate estrogen receptors leading to similar physiological effects as the body 's own estrogens . The first evidence of BPA 's estrogenicity came from experiments in the 1930s in which it was fed to ovariectomised rats [ 4 ] , [ 5 ] . Some hormone disrupting effects in studies on animals and human cancer cells have been shown to occur at levels as low as 2-5 ppb ( parts per billion ) . It has been claimed that these effects lead to health problems such as , in men , lowered sperm count and infertile sperm . The plastics industry has long claimed that bisphenol A is safe at typical levels of human exposure , minimizing or discounting all tests to the contrary . Eleven industry-funded studies found no risk from bisphenol A , while 90% of 104 independent studies showed possible risks , says a December 2004 report from scientists Fred vom Saal and Claude Hughes [ 6 ] . A previous report , released by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and funded by the American Plastics Council , called the evidence for risks `` weak '' and `` inconsistent '' . Claude Hughes , who co-authored the 2004 paper with vom Saal , had served on the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis panel . As indicated in his publication with vom Saal , he regards that assessment as out-of-date because it considered so few of the many papers published on low-dose BPA since 2001 . In 2006 , vom Saal and Welshons published a detailed analysis of why a small number of studies , mostly conducted in industry-funded laboratories , failed to replicate findings on low-level effects of BPA [ 8 ] . Independent review by a scientific panel convened by a US government agency found through reanalysis of the data in one of those papers that it in fact had found an effect , even though its conclusions stated otherwise . Several of the studies failed to use positive controls , and comparisons with other studies suggest that the negative controls were contaminated . Finally , several use a variety of rat that is known to be extremely insensitive to estrogens . Belcher and coworkers demonstrated that even very low levels of BPA can disrupt neural development in the fetus ( rat ) [ 7 ] . While a `` low-dose hypothesis '' has been debated for years , this study questions the assumption that a simple `` dose-equals-effect '' model is adequate to assess endocrine disruptor activity . References 1 : Dianin , Zhurnal russkogo fiziko-khimicheskogo obshchestva , 23 ( 1891 ) , pp. 492 ff . 2 : Th . Zincke , Mittheilungen aus dem chemischen Laboratorium der Universität Marburg , Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie , 343 ( 1905 ) , pp. 75-131 . 3 : Handbook of Chemistry and Physics , CRC Press , 76th edition ( 1995-1996 ) . 4 : E. C. Dodds and Wilfrid Lawson , Nature , 137 ( 1936 ) , 996 . 5 : E. C. Dodds and W. Lawson , Proceedings of the Royal Society of London , Series B , Biological Sciences , 125 , # 839 ( 27-IV-1938 ) , pp. 222-232 . 6 : vom Saal FS , Hughes C. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Aug ; 113 ( 8 ) : 926-33 PMID 16079060 7 : Zsarnovszky A , Le HH , Wang HS , Belcher SM. Endocrinology , 2005 Dec ; 146 ( 12 ) : 5388-96 . PMID 16123166 8 : vom Saal FS , Welshons W. Environmental Research 100 : 50-76. doi : 10.1016/j.envres.2005.09.001 External links Plastics chemical alters female brains News report on effect through plastic bottles Plastics Industry Bisphenol A information site Bisphenol Info page of a site about dangers of endocrine disruptors EPA page on Bisphenol A An Endocrine/Estrogen Letter special Report on BPA News coverage of bisphenol A from EnvironmentalHealthNews.org Link page to external chemical sources . Categories : Phenols | Plasticizers | Antioxidants In other languages : Dansk | Deutsch | Français | 日本語 | Svenska | 中文 