We’re exposed to hormone-disrupting BPA just by breathing

Manufacturing and wastewater treatment sites are releasing bisphenol A into the air, exposing people to high levels of the chemical, according to a study

Researchers have long known people can be exposed to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in plastic packaging from receipts to the lining of food cans and believed to disrupt human hormones. But a new study has found people also can be exposed to the chemical just by breathing.

Published in May 2015 by researchers at the University of Missouri, the study found high concentrations of BPA in both air and water near industrial sites, indicating that people may be exposed to much larger quantities of the chemical than previously thought.