Bisphenol A in Gallons: Issues, Potential Hazards, and Analysis

Bisphenol A or BPA is harmful to humans and is commonly found in bottled water. BPA is a chemical compound used to make plastics and resins since 1950. It is found in polycarbonate (PC) plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate is commonly used as packaging material, such as gallons of drinking water, baby feeding bottles, and tableware, marked with the number 7 on the packaging. Packaging with polycarbonate material is very sturdy and rigid because it can be recycled. Meanwhile, epoxy resins are used to line food and beverage cans and the inner parts of water pipes (EFSA, 2023a; Geens et al., 2012; Lehmler et al., 2018).

Bisphenol A became a hot topic in Indonesia after a health influencer, Dr. Richard Lee, posted on social media about about the risks of consuming bottled water in reusable gallons. He urged housewives to no more using reusable gallons.