Uncovering the Unknown

As mentioned, BPA is mostly banned in many regions. Specifically, items such as baby bottles and sippy cups, toys and mouthable items for young children, infant-formula containers/closures, and thermal receipt paper are widely prohibited. Retailers and manufacturers have also removed BPA from most reusable drinkware and can linings, so “BPA-free” has become the de facto norm.
While conducting research on its effect and impact, we came across data that demonstrates urgency. According to GlobeNewswire, reported global BPA output is at 6.4 million tonnes in 2023, predicted to reach over 9.3 million tonnes by 2030 (about 5.4% CAGR) for purely product tones. Another estimate from ChemAnalyst puts it at 37 million tonnes in 2025, expected to rise to nearly 61 million tonnes by 2030 for installed capacity and total marketing volume. (about 6.6% CAGR). With this many BPA being produced, where is it going if it is commonly banned? Its continuous production is adding weight to our ecosystem as well as our health. In Europe, biomonitoring studies found over 90% of adults had detectable BPA in their bodies, proving the impact it still has on us.
We surfed through the internet and our local communities to more deeply understand what the invisible traces of BPA is doing to the society we live in. Upon talking to mothers with young children or infants at home, it is clear that they all share the same concern: is my child safe from the chemicals? The powerlessness of not being able to clearly see and identify potential dangers lurking around in all sorts of products is their main issue right now. Therefore, we are dedicated to fixing that, starting from BPA.

Local Surveys

Public concerns, and acknowledgement of BPA

We conducted several surveys in local communities of our team members, spanning from Hsinchu to Taichung and even the States. With the feedback that we obtained, we organized it into a chart to demonstrate the lack of awareness of BPA exposure in our modern day society.

• Cancer risk
• Infertility and reproductive problems
• Developmental in children
• Hormonal imbalance in general

Consumer behavior reflects these fears indirectly. Many people claim they prefer BPA-free products, but in practice they often lack the ability to correctly identify them. For example, a significant portion of respondents could not interpret resin codes or verify whether “BPA-free” labeling was meaningful. This shows a gap between worry and practical action.
Some data also highlight that consumers are worried not just about BPA itself, but also about substitutes (like BPS or BPF), fearing that companies might replace BPA with equally harmful chemicals while still advertising products as “BPA-free.” This adds a layer of distrust toward industry and regulators, showing that concern is not just about health, but also about credibility of labels and policies.
Among all surveyed groups, mothers and parents of young children consistently showed the strongest concern about BPA. While general awareness of BPA was relatively low in the population overall—often only one-third to one-half of people had even heard of it—pregnant women and caregivers reported specific fears about child development, hormonal disruption, and long-term fertility risks. Even when they lacked detailed knowledge of BPA, once informed, more than 70% of respondents in these groups expressed high levels of worry. By contrast, younger adults and those with less education showed lower baseline awareness, but their concern also increased sharply after being told about BPA’s health effects. Taken together, the data suggest that parents and caregivers are the most immediately worried about BPA exposure, because they associate it with risks to infants, reproduction, and family health.

Market Surveys

We conducted market researches online to dive deeper into the production of BPA and constructed the data into graphs.

1. The following is from MordorIntelligence (2024)

CAGR : 6.56% (2025-2030)

2. The following is from Marketus (2023)

CAGR : 5.2%(2023-2033)

The following is according to CoherentMarketInsights (2024)

Below is from Grandviewresearch (2023)
CAGR : 5.2% (2024-2030)

Based on these graphs, multiple market reports indicate that over the coming years, the BPA market will continue to grow steadily, with compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) all exceeding 5%. Among the application segments, polycarbonate resins account for more than half of the BPA market, while epoxy resins also constitute a major sector. On the end-user side, electrical and electronics are the predominant domain. All of this demonstrates that even though BPA has been banned in certain sectors, it remains a significant raw material in the global industrial materials landscape. This contributes to environmental pollution and waste accumulation that is eventually gonna end up inside us.

To better understand public awareness and perceptions of BPA, our team conducted a local survey that gathered 115 responses from students, parents, and community members. The results revealed that 58.4% of respondents had never heard of BPA, and among those who had, most first encountered the term through social media (26.5%) or news reports (23%) rather than formal education. This confirms that BPA knowledge in the general population remains limited and largely media-driven. Despite this, when participants learned about its health risks, over 70% expressed moderate to extreme concern, echoing findings from global studies showing that fear and awareness rise sharply once people are informed.
Interestingly, although 53.2% of participants were unaware that BPA is still widely used, the majority (71.8%) nonetheless believed it continues to pose a health threat. Behavioral responses reflected this tension between knowledge and caution: over half (52.3%) stated they would actively avoid BPA-containing products, while nearly 43% reported having deliberately chosen “BPA-free” items out of health concerns. The most worrying products identified were water bottles (70.1%) and food containers (66.4%), both common in daily life, indicating that people associate BPA primarily with household exposure rather than industrial use.
Finally, when asked about possible solutions, nearly all respondents (97%) agreed that a simple and affordable home test for BPA would be useful or worth considering. This finding directly supports our project’s goal: creating a user-friendly biological detection system that empowers individuals to assess their own exposure. In essence, our survey demonstrated a significant gap between awareness and action — people care deeply once informed, but lack the accessible tools to translate concern into behavior. Our human practices work, therefore, bridges this gap by combining education, accessibility, and biotechnology to help communities make informed decisions about BPA safety.

Collaboration

During the first few months of our project, upon brainstorming and surveying, we reached out to the National Taiwan University for a potential collaboration in our project. We eventually communicated and connected with the National Taiwan University’s Agricultural Chemistry department to further develop the research of a BPA test kit.

Safety

With the constant exposure to chemicals such as BPA in our experiments, safety is prioritized at all times.
During all wet-lab work, we followed BSL-1 practices using only non-pathogenic strains under trained supervision. All team members completed basic lab safety training and read SDSs before handling any reagent. Standard PPE was worn at all times. Benches and stations were disinfected before & after experiments, and sterile technique (ethanol sterilization) was used to prevent contamination. Chemicals and media were clearly labeled with contents/date/hazards to avoid misuse. Chemical waste was segregated and disposed of according to local guidelines. Spill kits and eyewash were accessible at all times, with defined response steps known by our members. No organisms, DNA, or modified materials were released outside the lab; transport occurred in sealed, labeled containers. All work complied with institutional rules and iGEM safety policies, and any protocol with added risk required prior risk assessment and mentor approval.

Specific details can be accessed through NTU Labs regulations:

References

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• Aslan, E., & Kaplan, B. (2025, September 12). Assessment of bisphenol-related knowledge and awareness among healthcare professionals: a cross-sectional analysis from Türkiye. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, Article 1627745. Link
• Bucci, M., Casas, K., Colgate, E., Gunyan, H., Heath, L., Hoffman, M., Smith, R., Bress, B., Hoffman-Contois, R., Carney, J., & Hulse, C. (2010, February 24). Bisphenol A and Phthalates: Public Knowledge and Risk Perception. University of Vermont, Public Health Projects. Link
• Scherer, L. D., Maynard, A., Dolinoy, D. C., Fagerlin, A., & Zikmund-Fisher, B. J. (2014). The psychology of ‘regrettable substitutions’: examining consumer judgements of Bisphenol A and its alternatives. Health, Risk & Society, 16, 649–666. Link
• Okman, E., & Yalçın, S. S. (2024). Awareness and Knowledge of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Among Pregnant Women and New Mothers: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study. Toxics, 12(12), 890. Link
• Mordor Intelligence. (n.d.). Bisphenol A (BPA) Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2025 - 2030). Link
• Market.us. (n.d.). Bisphenol A Market. Link
• Coherent Market Insights. (n.d.). Bisphenol A Market ANALYSIS & FORECAST:2025-2032. Link
• Grand View Research. (n.d.). Bisphenol A Market (2024 - 2030). Link