'Some' companies have replaced BPA's with other chems that have not had much study.

*************************************

The chemical, called bisphenol A (BPA), is used to make plastics, including materials that come into contact with food

FOUR out of every five teens have their hormones upset by gender-bending chemicals found in plastics, new research suggests.

The chemical, called bisphenol A (BPA), is used to make plastics, including materials that come into contact with food.

BPA mimics the female sex hormone, oestrogen, and has been linked to breast cancer

But it can mimic mimic the female sex hormone, oestrogen, and cause a lower sperm count in men.

The chemical is also thought to be linked to several different types of cancer, including breast and prostate.

Researchers at Exeter University studied the blood and urine of 94 teenagers aged 17-19 and found 80 per cent had the hormone disrupting chemicals in their bodies.

Ecotoxicology professor Tamara Galloway, who co-led the study, said there was "growing evidence" exposure to the chemical may be associated with poorer health.

Professor Lorna Harries, who also worked on the study, described it as a "pervasive disruptor" and added: "We should have a choice over what we put in our bodies."

When the teens changed their diet to include more fresh produce the BPA levels among those with he highest to begin with fell, but there was little change amongst others.

BPA is legal in the UK.

It is used in plastics including refillable drinks bottles and food storage containers, as well as protective coatings and linings for food and drinks cans.

It is also used to develop dye in thermal paper, which is used for shop sales receipts, and public transport and parking tickets.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECA) have identified the chemical as a “substance of very high concern” and will restrict the use of it in our receipts by 2020.

Members of the ECA committee warned BPA can disrupt the body’s endocrine system, which is the collection of glands that produce hormones.

They highlight the chemical’s “endocrine disrupting properties, which cause probable serious effects to human health” including infertility and aggression in girls as young as three.

The chemical can mimic the female sex hormone, oestrogen, and some studies have found it affects the development of breast tissue increasing a woman's risk of breast cancer, according to Breast Cancer UK.

But Cancer Research UK suggests there is no convincing scientific evidence that BPA increases a person's risk of cancer.

And the most recent statement from the European Food Safety Authority, in January 2015, said there is no risk posed to human health at current exposure levels.

It said there is no health risk to consumers of any age group, including unborn children, infants and adolescents.

A spokesman for the British Plastics Industry said: "At current exposure levels, plastics containing BPA pose no consumer health risks."